HomeNews Soccer Hall of Fame Receives New York State Funds for New Field
Soccer Hall of Fame Receives New York State Funds for New Field
Soccer Hall of Fame
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ONEONTA, NY (August 11, 2008) – New York State Senator James L. Seward announced that New York State has placed a $300,000 capital expenditure in the 2008-2009 NYS budget for the purpose of adding a fifth field to the National Soccer Hall of Fame field complex. The new field will allow the Hall of Fame to expand its summer tournament and camp offerings as well as become an even more attractive host for the New York State Boy’s Soccer Championships. “This is about job growth and economic development for Oneonta and the county by utilizing our assets and boosting tourism," Seward said. "The spin-off effect helps restaurants, lodging and retailers, and ultimately, it's a shot in the arm for our sales tax receipts."
"We are elated and thankful to receive this grant,” Hall of Fame President Steve Baumann said.”This will be a wonderful addition to our current fields. We have four world-class award winning fields on campus now. The fifth field will be equal in quality and these funds will make it possible to have the infrastructure to keep it that way. We will be able to host more teams and more events and bring more people to Oneonta because of this award.”
The Hall of Fame has hosted the New York State Boy’s Championship weekend for eight years. In 2006 the tournament moved from four competitive classes to five, making the scheduling of the tournament much tighter on the day of semifinals when 10 matches take place. “A fifth field will make the tournament easier to schedule and manage,” Hall of Fame Program Manager Pamela Frutiger said. “We have lived in fear of a snow fall that delays games or of semifinals on the same field that go to overtime that might extend the competition into dusk or force us to carry over the finish of matches until the next day. We have not needed to do that so far, but it is a concern. A fifth field will alleviate that concern.”
At times in the past the Hall of Fame has needed to limit tournament offerings or turn away teams because of limited field space. The fifth field will minimize that occurrence in the future.
Construction will begin as soon as practicable with negotiations ongoing will potential field construction companies.
About the Hall of Fame
The Mission of the National Soccer Hall of Fame is to Celebrate the History, Honor the Heroes, Inspire the Youth and Preserve the Legacy of Soccer in the United States.
Located in Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a new 30,000 sq.ft., state-of-the-art multimedia museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame tells the story of soccer in America through artifacts, photographs, video and written narratives. The main VideoWall portrays some of the greatest moments and the greatest goals in soccer history as well as live soccer action from the World Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. The Hall features an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks Zone, including a kid-sized indoor field, where visitors have fun kicking, heading and playing video soccer games. Unique and rare artifacts on exhibit range from The Dewar Cup, the oldest team trophy in U.S. Sport, to the Women’s World Cup won by the USA in 1999, the uniforms of Pele and Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly’s golden shoes, NASL championship rings, and MLS championship trophies.
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