Aloha Stadium, the longtime home to the Hawai’i football team, announced a moratorium on new events at the stadium Thursday, prompting the Rainbow Warriors to begin a search for a new 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.”
A new 35,000-seat stadium is scheduled to open by the fall of 2023, but it is unclear what solutions would be considered to host the football team for the next two seasons. To maintain FBS status, a football program is required to “average at least 15,000 in actual or paid attendance for all home football contests over a two-year rolling period,” according to the NCAA bylaws.
The state of Hawai’i does not have another stadium with a capacity of 15,000 or greater. A message left for the NCAA inquiring about the possibility of a waiver for Hawai’i to keep its FBS status while playing at a smaller venue was not immediately returned.
Events that are already scheduled for Aloha Stadium will be allowed to take place, which presumably includes the Hula Bowl, a college football all-star game scheduled 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 release from the Aloha Stadium Authority, the change was called a “temporary moratorium on new events and reduction in operations.” It did not cite an expected timeline or make specific mentions about the Hawai’i football team or events with fans.