6 May 2011

What are the plans for the US Soccer Collection and Archives?

When the US National Soccer Hall of Fame & Museum closed down in Oneonta, 2009, little was known what was going to happen to the collection of objects. Over a year has passed since the museum's board of directors decided to give up their facilities and break up their displays. The collection and archive was said to be relocated to a warehouse in North Carolina, at a long term sponsor.

The press release of february 2010 said:

"As part of the operating change, the Hall of Fame will close its Oneonta, N.Y., facility and relocate the collections and archives. Preliminary plans include distributing permanent displays for exhibition in several locations nationwide, while elements of the Hall’s archives not on display will be preserved in storage facilities provided by one of the Hall’s longtime corporate sponsors, Eurosport, located in Hillsborough, N.C."

The ownership of the collections and archives is no longer with the former non-profit organisation but with the US Soccer Federation, apparently. The plans for the collection or any future plans for a museum are not known. Rumours has it that the US Soccer Federation wants to relocate the Museum to a larger city, preferably to the stadium of a MLS club.
No luck in that department as of yet.

Balls & Boots will try to get some fresh information on this case.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum opened in 1981 and moved to their new facilities in 1999 before closing in 2009.
In relation to the type of colletcions what other football museums holds, the US one is of particular interest, especially in terms of women's football. For instance, among the world's football museum objects of fantastic players the Mia Hamm collection is a crucial one.

The US Soccer Hall of Fame is still running, still inducting, but without a physical space.

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