Aloha Stadium, the long-lasting home to the Hawai’i football team, declared a moratorium on new events at the stadium Thursday, provoking the Rainbow Warriors to start a quest for another home for the 2021 season.
“We are beyond disappointed of the news at today’s announcement from the Aloha Stadium Authority that there will be no further events in the current stadium with fans,” Hawai’i athletic director David Matlin said in a statement. “Aloha Stadium has such a storied history and carries so many memories for our football program and generations of Hawai’i families. We must now take responsibility ourselves to find a suitable venue for our Rainbow Warriors, Hawai’i’s football team, to play in front of our loyal fans beginning in 2021.”
Another 35,000-seat arena is planned to open by the fall of 2023, yet it is muddled what arrangements would be considered to have the football crew for the following two seasons. To keep up FBS status, a football program is needed to “average at least 15,000 in actual or paid attendance for all home football contests over a two-year rolling period,” as per the NCAA local laws.
The territory of Hawai’i doesn’t have another arena with a limit of 15,000 or more prominent. A message left for the NCAA asking about the chance of a waiver for Hawai’i to keep its FBS status while playing at a more modest setting was not quickly returned.
Occasions that are as of now planned for Aloha Stadium will be permitted to happen, which apparently incorporates the Hula Bowl, a school football elite player game booked for Jan. 31.
“It is with a heavy heart that we make this difficult decision,” said Ross Yamasaki, chair of the Stadium Authority. “Aloha Stadium has been expending its reserves to maintain operations since COVID-19 restrictions began. Unfortunately, we have reached a stage where we can no longer afford to continue these expenditures. It is our hope that we can find a long-term solution but for now must make these changes to reduce expenses and generate revenue through activities in the parking lot and events that have already been booked.”
In the delivery from the Aloha Stadium Authority, the change was known as a “temporary moratorium on new events and reduction in operations.” It didn’t refer to a normal timetable or make explicit notices about the Hawai’i football crew or occasions with fans.
