Herbert Heilpern was a European born athlete and active builder of American soccer. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame

National Soccer Hall of Fame

The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...

 in 1988.

Heilpern was born in Austria. After escaping Nazi occupied Europe, he played amateur soccer in New York City’s Eastern District League from 1939 to 1958 with the Bronx Jewish Soccer Club, Hakoah SC, and New World Club. His Hakoah

Hakoah

Hakoah means "The Strength" and may refer to any one of these Jewish sport organizations:* Hakoah Vienna , an athletic club in Austria that is the origin of the Hakoah name...

 teams won championships in 1941-42 as did his New World Club in 1948-49. He was coach of the 3rd Division Blue Star Soccer Club in the German-American Soccer League. Heilpern was also President of the German-American Soccer League of New York 1969-75, and was a co-founder of both the North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

 in 1967 and the New York Cosmos

New York Cosmos

The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...

in 1971. He joined the Executive Board of the German-American Junior League in 1976, and later served as President. As Soccer Coordinator for the City of New York, he developed year-round soccer facilities in the southern part of the state. He was named First Vice President of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association in 1985. Before emigrating from Austria in 1939, Heilpern was a goalkeeper for the Hakoah club of Vienna.