- Induction Weekend Tickets on Sale
- Tournaments are Filling Up
- Atchinson Honors Reception a Standing Room only Affair
- New Soccer Kids Club Membership Coming
- New Funding for the Hall to Market and Promote in 2009

- NYSPHSAA Soccer Coaches Clinic
- Soccer Camp at the Hall
- Hall of Famer profile: Rick Davis
- Welcome to the Hall of Fame family, Kathy

Induction Weekend, July 31-August 2, Tickets On Sale Now! 
Visit our website:  http://www.soccerhall.org/ and click on the Induction Weekend schedule link - it will take you to the whole weekend’s events, with descriptions of the activities and the various ways you can participate. We have a great Friday night gathering, held in the Museum, that is a wonderful informal gathering time to meet and talk with old friends and the new members of the Soccer Hall family. You can join in and meet the legends attending.

The list of activities is diverse and includes a golf tournament at the Oneonta Country Club, the semi-formal President’s reception/dinner and Big Three Enshrinement, and of course, Induction in the Museum among the exhibits and memorabilia highlighting the history of the game. There is no better place to pay tribute to the new Hall of Famers Joy Fawcett and Jeff Agoos… So make your reservations today to join us at this special event. 

Tournaments are Filling Up - Don’t Get Closed Out, Sign Your Team Up Today
Spring has finally begun to creep into upstate New York and the thoughts of playing on the Hall’s award-winning fields at the home of the sport in America is occurring to many coaches. So, if you are a coach or a player for a team, get your tournament registration in so you are guaranteed a spot in this summer’s tournaments. There will be great competition, terrific fields and facilities, and the only place where you can inspire your team and yourself in the National Museum dedicated to your favorite sport. Special packages for team building overnights in the Museum are still available for some weekends, contact Pamela Frutiger (607.432.3351 x206 or pamela@soccerhall.org) for more details.

Atchinson Honors Reception a Standing Room only Affair
The second annual Bill Atchinson Jr. Honors Reception, held Sunday, March 8th was another rousing success, with a terrific turnout to honor local young soccer athletes for their recent accomplishments in the game. Five teams who earned national or state championships were honored as well as individuals who had achieved All-America status. Highlights included keynote speaker Tracey Raineri challenging the athletes to “give back” to their communities using their “celebrity status” to help others and U.S. National Paralympic soccer team participant Gabe Cruz-Allen enjoying his moment on the stage. Pepe Aragon, coach of the National Junior College Champions Herkimer CC said, “What an honor and experience it was for our coaching staff and players to receive an award in the museum surrounded by the United States soccer history.” Congratulations to all!

New Soccer Kids Club Membership Coming!
For just $10 your child can be a Soccer Kids Club member!  This club will have a special section of our website just for your kids to play, do activities, test their soccer knowledge, meet Hall of Famers, and win cool stuff!  Also, included is a membership card that lets them visit the Hall of Fame free for one whole year!  AND receive a special discount in our store for all their soccer gear needs.  WHAT A DEAL!  Check the website in early May to see what the excitement is all about!

New Funding for the Hall to Market and Promote in 2009
The Hall is pleased to announce two new grants:  $35,000 for marketing to enable the Hall of Fame to attract additional visitors and revenue to the region, and $15,000 to add an Otsego County Visitors Center at the Hall so tourists coming through the region will be able to find out what attractions and businesses are in the region. "Our location in Oneonta and adjacent to Interstate 88 makes us an excellent location for a County Visitor’s Center," Hall of Fame President Steve Baumann said.  "We believe the two grants in combination will boost both our Hall of Fame attendance as well as the attendance at the many other wonderful tourism destinations in the County."

FOR ALL SOCCER COACHES: NYSPHSAA Soccer Coaches Clinic 
This annual event is set for May 29th and all coaches, no matter what level they coach, are invited. This year we are pleased to announce the keynote speaker is University of Connecticut men’s soccer coach Ray Reid. Coach Reid will also do a field clinic during the day along with 5 coaches/clinicians including a goalkeeping session by SU women’s soccer coach Phil Wheddon. "There will be a session on almost every topic" said clinic committee member Mike Andrew. The price is $75 and includes all the sessions, lunch, chances to win soccer gear from Brine and more. This one-day clinic is open to all and is a great way to learn something new to help give your team the competitive edge they need.  Contact Pamela Frutiger, pamela@soccerhall.org to sign up.

Soccer Camp at the Hall - a winning combination - Sign Up Today
We are pleased to announce that the Red Dragons Soccer Camps will hold one of their annual day camps at the Hall, August 3-7.  This is great way to gear up for the fall leagues and this camp features an elite camp that targets the skills needed by older kids trying out for JV and Varsity teams.  A World Cup competition is a highlight for all campers, and the instruction level will make you glad you sent your child.  For information and a brochure, contact Iain Byrne, camp director at: byrneij@oneonta.edu

Hall of Famer profile: Rick Davis - From Young Soccer Star to Youth Soccer Director
As a 7-year-old Rick Davis started kicking the ball in the American Youth Soccer Organization.  Today, some 43 years later, he is making it possible for thousands of youth to participate in soccer as AYSO players. Perhaps some of them will approach what Rick did in the intervening years, and professional soccer and the U.S. National Team will be richer for that experience.

Rick moved from his AYSO beginnings to competitive club soccer, reaching the finals of the McGuire Cup, and then went on to Santa Clara University. But, within the year, he had made his debut for the National Team and scored his first international goal against El Salvador, then walked into the locker room of the New York Cosmos to join Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, and Vladislav ‘Bogie’ Bogicevic with the most famous American soccer team in international history. Over the next decade he moved into indoor soccer and followed Hall of Famer Al Trost as Captain America of the U.S. National Team. A knee injury lessened his role in the late 80s and Rick’s playing career ended on the verge of the Men’s National Team qualifying for the 1990 World Cup.
Rick began his post-player life in Southern California, working initially as a broadcaster and a spokesperson for commercial and civic entities before moving in to the top management position of a newly formed professional soccer team named the Los Angeles Salsa.  Following a three-year stint in professional soccer management, Rick became more directly involved in helping youth players develop, as he became AYSO’s Director of Player Programs in 2001. Shortly thereafter he became the Director of Programs, and in 2007 Rick was named Executive Director of AYSO. In that role he has reinvigorated the people and programs at AYSO and increased the impact of its programs across the country.

"Soccer has been my life. It has given me so many great experiences and opportunities," Rick said recently. "Becoming the Executive Director of AYSO allows me to pay back the great debt I owe to the many men and women who helped me, and to try and help as many children as possible come to enjoy the greatest sport on earth soccer!"

"I feel the same way about the National Soccer Hall of Fame" Rick continued. "I support the Hall of Fame whenever I speak with groups all across the country. And I support the Hall of Fame with an annual donation so I can be a part of building the programs and services it offers to all of America’s soccer fans. My success was enabled by the many great players, dedicated administrators and coaches who preceded me, from those I was never able to know, like Bill Gonsalves and Tom Cahill, and to the ones I feel privileged to call my friends, like Walter Bahr and Alan Rothenberg. They all deserve the best Hall of Fame possible. For those reasons I will continue to donate to the Hall of Fame."

Kathy Davis The Hall of Fame’s Newest Volunteer
Kathy Davis has been involved with soccer forever! Well, maybe not quite forever, but ever since she became a Mom of three soccer playing sons. "I wanted our boys to be active, and soccer really promoted activity. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I’d be volunteering more and more time to give them playing opportunities at an appropriate competitive level. Now, as the youngest finishes his first year of college, I can start to move my soccer volunteering in a new direction." Kathy’s new direction is assisting Hall of Fame Director of Museum and Archives Jack Huckel with important archive tasks, such as logging in new donations, searching the archives in response to requests for information, photographs, and/or video, and working to further organize the amazing collection the Hall of Fame has accumulated under its care.

"One of our great challenges is keeping track, in the sense of where a particular item is stored, of the materials that are donated," Jack said. "Kathy is experienced and comfortable at a computer keyboard. Her expertise will allow us to take advantage of the museum collection software we purchased. We will be able to create a searchable catalog of the materials that includes the storage location. This will be a tremendous advancement in our efficiency and our ability to assist researchers and to create new or modified exhibits in the museum."
Welcome to the Hall of Fame family, Kathy.

Want to volunteer but not sure how to get involved? Just stop by and ask for Jack, Pamela or Kathy and we’ll sit down and discuss the possibilities with you. As a small, private non-profit we have an abundance of opportunities available for you to help with events as well as in the archives. Perhaps you’d like to help out as a docent in the Museum with school groups or on busy weekends. If you have an education background we could use your help with our various educational programs. The list is virtually endless. So don’t be shy, if you want to come by and just help out once in a while, we’d love that! If you want to come in regularly, we’d love that too! Just let us know and thanks for thinking of giving us a hand.