| National Soccer Hall of Fame | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1950 (as institution in 1979) |
| Location | Oneonta, New York |
| Type | Professional sports hall of fame |
| Visitor figures | 17,000 per year [1][2] |
| Website | http://www.soccerhall.org/ |
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.
Induction into the hall is widely considered the highest honor in American soccer.[3][4] [5] [6]
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The Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 by the Philadelphia "Old-timers" Association, a group of former professional and amateur soccer players that wanted to recognize the achievements of soccer in America.[7]
The Hall of Fame museum opened on June 12, 1999 and hosted Hillary Clinton during the same year. The museum featured the hall of fame, a library and an interactive soccer play area.
The United States National Soccer Team Players Association partnered with the Hall of Fame to create the Time In program, which honored people with a connection to soccer battling Leukemia. Since the disease disproportionately targets children a majority of the honorees were youth soccer players.[8]
Prior to the 2005 induction of the "Magnificent Five" individuals from the early and mid 20th century had been largely ignored. This change was brought about by the acquisition of a large volume of historical records relating to this period. These records combined with previously developed eligibility criteria led to the induction of Tommy Fleming, Alex McNab, Johnny Nelson, Werner Nilsen and Fabri Salcedo. The notable careers of these five players all took place prior to 1950. The "Magnificent Five" were inducted post-humously into the Hall of Fame in August 2005.[9]
Sports Illustrated reported on September 4, 2009 that the Hall announced it would be closing to the public. It was open only on certain match days. As a result of financial difficulties the Hall of Fame cut six of its nine employees during that same month.[2] The director of the Hall of Fame for almost 10 years, Jack Huckel, left his position on December 18, 2009.[1] On February 10, 2010, it was announced that the Hall would close its facility, though inductions will continue.[10][11]
After the museum was closed, a collection of more than 80,000 items was distributed to various locations across the country, including the headquarters of Eurosport, a long-term coporate sponsor, in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The collection includes the following notable items:[7][12]
Eligible individuals may be inducted into one of three categories: Player, Builder and Veteran (player). New individuals are inducted on an annual basis.
In order to be eligible in the Player category, an individual must have met number 1, and either number 2 or number 3, of the following three criteria:
Players who have met either no. 2 or no. 3 but who retired more than 10 years ago are automatically placed on the veteran eligibility list.
In order to be eligible in this category, an individual must have made his or her mark in soccer in a non-playing capacity and have had a major, sustained and positive impact on soccer in the United States at a national or first division professional level. Due to the broad, general nature of the criteria, nominations for this category may be considered. Nominations are screened by the Hall of Fame Historian and Researcher who submit their recommendations to the Hall as to the appropriateness of the nominee's inclusion on the eligibility list.
On February 17, 2011, the Hall of Fame announced the candidates eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame in 2011. This list included individuals for all three categories, Player, Veteran and Builder. On March 29, 2011, the Hall of Fame announced that Cobi Jones, Eddie Pope and Earnie Stewart had been elected for induction into the Hall of Fame in the 2011 Player category. Bruce Murray was selected in the Veteran category and Bob Gansler was elected in the Builder category.[13]
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