PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh RIVERHOUNDS® Assistant Coach and Director of Youth Development Paul Child is one of 12 nominees for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The Hall made the announcement earlier this week naming Child to the official 2001 ballot. The final candidates - from a list of 138 players who met induction criteria - topped the first-round voting by the Selection Advisory Committee. The Selection Committee is comprised of current and former United States National Team coaches and selected Hall of Famers.
Joining Child as nominees are Teofilo Cubillas, Rick Davis, Angelo DiBernardo, Shannon Higgins (Cirovski), Randy Horton, Arnie Mausser, Shep Messing, Ilija Mitic, Bobby Smith, Wolfgang Suhnholz and Al Trost.
Child, a former standout forward in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), is thrilled to be among the candidates. "I feel very, very honored to be a part of this group of players," he said. "Now I can understand how football players and the like feel when they learn of their eligibility and elections into their respective halls of fame. After you haven't played for a while, it's great to be recognized in this way. It definitely makes the playing worthwhile."
The two to be inducted in the class of 2001 in October will be chosen by the soccer media via a national on-line ballot. "This is the first time we've had the technology in place to effectively reach the national media," said Director of Museum Services Jack Huckel. Huckel added, "Mail ballots are being supplanted by Internet technology, and we are excited that we can easily open the balloting to the widest possible audience. Members of the media are invited to complete the registration form and vote will vote via a special ballot page at www.soccerhall.org, the official National Soccer Hall of Fame website.
Another first in 2001 is the Hall of Fame Fan Poll. Soccer fans coast-to-coast can see the biographies of the 12 candidates and cast their vote via a special Fan Poll section of the Hall's website.
Child is pleased that there is a fan voting component added this year. "I always played for the fans," he said. "They motivated me more than any coach."
Voting via the Fan Poll and for the media will be conducted through the end of this month and the final selections will be announced in July.
A native of Birmingham, England, Child came to the United States to play for the Atlanta Chiefs of the NASL where he became their top goal scorer. He played for three other NASL teams including the San Jose Earthquakes and is ranked fifth on the league's all-time scoring list. In 1974 he was the league's scoring leader and named the NASL Most Valuable Player. He played 239 NASL regular-season games and six NASL playoff games before retiring from the NASL in 1981 and moving onto the MISL.
According to Child, he played against most of the other nominees and was a teammate of Mitic's in San Jose and played on an All-Star team with Bob Smith.
Eligibility requirements for nomination include being retired as a player for at least four years but for not more than 25; candidates must have played at least 20 full international games for the U.S. of which at least one must have been in the World Cup or World Cup qualifying (reduction to 10 games if the games were prior to 1990); candidates must have played at least five seasons in a first-division professional league, won the league championship, won the U.S. Open Cup or been a league all-star at least once. A player must meet the retirement criteria and one of the other two to make the selection committee list.
The National Soccer Hall of Fame features a range of exhibits on the history of soccer in the U.S. from the earliest games played on Boston Common to the latest scores and standings. In addition to the Museum, the National Soccer Hall of Fame complex boasts an interactive Kicks Game Zone, a pro shop, a gift shop, library, four world-class soccer fields and office/meeting facilities.
