What’s Up With The Proposed New Hawaii Football Stadium?
Well after midnight on the East Coast on December 13, 2020, with most of the mainland United States gone to bed, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team left the playing surface of Aloha Stadium elated. Hawaii just sealed a 38-21 victory over UNLV and clinched bowl eligibility. It was the last time an FBS game was played at Aloha Stadium, which closed its gates for good following the season.
But the University of Hawaii was onto bigger and better things – just months before, the state legislature appropriated $350M in funds to build the Rainbow Warriors a new home surrounded by a modern entertainment district. “New Aloha Stadium” had conceptual renderings and the reality began setting in. Though Hawaii would have to play at nearby Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex for a handful of years, its future home was promised to be among the best in the country.
And then the wheels fell off. Since the initial announcement, Hawaii football’s future home descended into development and legal hell.
Hurdles For The New Hawaii Football Stadium
The path to a new stadium for Hawaii football was anything but linear. Initially, the cost of the entertainment district ballooned to $450M – a cost Hawaii Governor Josh Green objected to. The project was delayed, and then delayed again.
By the start of March 2023, New Aloha Stadium’s opening was pushed from 2026 to 2027.
In August 2023, a wildfire ravaged the state. A brush fire started near Lahaina turned into the third-deadliest wildfire in U.S. history. Months later, in early March 2024, the Hawaii state House passed HB 2664. The legislation reallocated the $350M in funds promised to the University of Hawaii to wildfire relief efforts. Instead, Ching Complex would be made the permanent home of Rainbow Warrior football, capped around 15-20,000 seats.
University of Hawaii leaders vehemently opposed the bill.
“We don’t want the money and we don’t want this stadium,” UH Chief Financial Officer Kalbert Young said.
State Sen. Glenn Wakai also said the bill had, “absolutely no public support. It is just a money grab by the house to help with Lahaina.”
Just weeks later, HB 2664 was killed in the state senate.
When Will The Hawaii Football Stadium Open?
Given the complex history of the development already, plans could change. According to a March 28 report, New Aloha Stadium is on track to open for Hawaii’s 2028 football season. The Rainbow Warriors are slated to host Kansas as the season opener.
A two-year delay is far from insignificant. But given state legislation designed to destroy the project – plus a convoluted and maligned process to demolish the existing and condemned Aloha Stadium – it’s a miracle the new stadium is moving forward at all. The victorious argument was that New Aloha Stadium would generate far more revenue in the long run than the $350M allocated in the development of the project costs.
The entertainment district proposed to surround the new facility isn’t expected to be completed until at least 2043. Details on the project beyond the stadium walls are scant. Among the professional sport ranks, stadium districts are the new hotness. The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs redefined the game day experience thanks to pouring dollars into entertainment districts surrounding their ballparks. Proposals by the Cleveland Browns and recent developments in Arlington, Texas (home of the Cowboys and Rangers), reinforced the movement around these projects.
Given the campus and school-oriented nature of college football, no FBS stadiums lie in a district. Hawaii would be the first of its kind.
The University of Hawaii is far from the only school in purgatory with a new football stadium. Though plans for a new Ryan Field have been approved for Northwestern, the Wildcats did not have a plan for a home venue into Spring 2024. Heavy public opposition was new Ryan Field’s biggest hurdle.
