Aloha Stadium

Aloha Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Halawa, Hawaii,[8] a western suburb of Honolulu (though with a Honolulu address). It is the largest stadium in the state of Hawaii. As of December 2020, the stadium ceased fan-attended operations indefinitely, and placed a moratorium on the scheduling of new events.[9]

Aloha Stadium

Looking south in September 2005
Aloha Stadium Location on the island of Oahu Aloha Stadium Location in Hawaii
Address	99–500 Salt Lake Boulevard
Location	Halawa, Hawaii, U.S.
Coordinates	21.373°N 157.93°W
Public transit	HART at Aloha Stadium (planned 2020)
Owner	State of Hawaii
Operator	Hawaii Stadium Authority
Capacity	50,000[1]
Field size	Baseball Left Field – 325 ft (99 m) Center Field – 420 ft (128 m) Right Field – 325 ft (99 m)
Surface	S5 (2011–present) FieldTurf (2003–2011)[2] AstroTurf (1975–2002)
Construction
Opened	September 12, 1975[3][4]
Construction cost	$37 million[5] ($176 million in 2019[6])
Architect	Luckman Partnership, Inc.[7]
Tenants
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (NCAA) 1975–2020 The Hawaiians (WFL) 1975 Hawaii Islanders (PCL) 1976–1987 Team Hawaii (NASL) 1977 Hula Bowl (NCAA) 1976–1997, 2006–2008, 2020–2021 Aloha Bowl (NCAA) 1982–2000 Oahu Bowl (NCAA) 1998–2000 Hawaiʻi Bowl (NCAA) 2002–2019

Aloha Stadium served as home to the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors football team (Mountain West Conference, NCAA Division I FBS) for the 1975 through 2020 seasons. It also hosted college football's Hawaiʻi Bowl (2002–2019) and Hula Bowl (1976–1997, 2006–2008, 2020–2021), and formerly was home to the National Football League's Pro Bowl from 1980 through 2016 (except in 2010 and 2015). It also hosted numerous high school football games, and served as a venue for large concerts and events, including high school graduation ceremonies. The stadium was home field for the AAA Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1975 to 1987, before the team moved to Colorado Springs. Frequent swap meets in the stadium's parking lot often drew large crowds.[10]

History

Aerial view in baseball/soccer configuration

Before 1975, Honolulu's main outdoor stadium had been Honolulu Stadium, a wooden stadium on King Street. However, it had reached the end of its useful life by the 1960s, and was well below the standards for Triple-A baseball. The need for a new stadium was hastened by the move of the Hawaii Rainbows football program to NCAA Division I. Located west of downtown Honolulu and 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Honolulu International Airport, Aloha Stadium was constructed in 1975 at a cost of $37 million. Constructed of steel, the stadium was nicknamed the "Metal Mecca".[11] The baseball field is aligned north-northwest (home plate to centerfield), as is the football field.

The first sporting event at Aloha Stadium was a college football game between Hawaii and Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) on September 13, 1975.[3] Played on Saturday night, the crowd was 32,247,[12] and the visitors prevailed, 43–9.[3]

The stadium was somewhat problematic for its initial primary tenant, the minor league baseball Hawaii Islanders. Located in west-central Oahu, it was far from the team's fan base, and many were unwilling to make the drive. Additionally, while local public transportation (TheBus) stopped at the main gate of Honolulu Stadium, the stop for Aloha Stadium was located some distance from the gate. As a result, attendance plummeted and never really recovered—a major factor in the franchise's ultimate move to the mainland.[13]

Additionally, stadium management initially refused to allow the use of metal spikes on the AstroTurf. During a game in early May 1976, the starting pitcher for the Tacoma Twins, Bill Butler, wore metal spikes to comply with a directive from Tacoma's parent club.[14] In response, stadium management turned off the center field lights, and after 35 minutes, umpires forfeited the game to the Twins.[14] The Islanders protested, claiming they had no control over the lights.[14] However, the Pacific Coast League (PCL) sided with the Twins, citing a league rule that the home team is responsible for providing acceptable playing facilities.[13][15] After the teams ended the season in a tie for first in the PCL's Western Division, Hawaii won a one-game playoff in Tacoma.[16]

As originally built, Aloha Stadium had various configurations for different sport venues and other purposes. Four movable 7,000-seat sections, each 3.5 million pounds (1,600,000 kg) [1] could move using air casters into a diamond configuration for baseball (also used for soccer), an oval for football, or a triangle for concerts. In January 2007, the stadium was permanently locked into its football configuration due to cost and maintenance issues.[17] An engineer from Rolair Systems, the NASA spin-off company that engineered the system,[18] claims that the problem was caused by a concrete contractor that ignored specifications for the concrete pads under the stadium.[19]

Concerns

There have been numerous discussions with Hawaii lawmakers who are concerned with the physical condition of the stadium. There are several issues regarding rusting of the facility, several hundred seats that need to be replaced, and restroom facilities that need to be expanded to accommodate more patrons.[5] Much of the rust is due to building the stadium with weathering steel. It was intended to create a protective patina that would eliminate the need for painting. However, the designers reckoned without Honolulu's ocean-salt laden climate. As a result, the steel has never stopped rusting.[20][21]

A 2005 study by Honolulu engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. determined that the stadium required $99 million to be completely restored and an additional $115 million for ongoing maintenance and refurbishment over the next 20 years to extend its useful life.[22] In early 2007, the state legislature proposed to spend $300 million to build a new facility as opposed to spending approximately $216 million to extend the life of Aloha Stadium for another 20–30 years. The new stadium may also be used to attempt to lure a Super Bowl to Hawaii in the future.[23]

One council member has said that if immediate repairs are not made within the next seven years, then the stadium will probably have to be demolished due to safety concerns. In May 2007, the state allotted $12.4 million to be used towards removing corrosion and rust from the structure.[24]

Expansion and improvements

In 2003, the stadium surface was changed from AstroTurf (which had been in place since the stadium opened) to FieldTurf.[2] In July 2011, the field was replaced with an Act Global UBU Sports Speed S5-M synthetic turf system.

In 2008, the state of Hawaii approved the bill of $185 million to refurbish the aging Aloha Stadium.[25] In 2010, Aloha Stadium completely retrofitted its scoreboard and video screen to be more up to date with its high definition capability. The Aloha Stadium Authority plans to add more luxury suites, replacing all seats, rusting treatments, parking lots, more restrooms, pedestrian bridge supports, enclosed lounge, and more. There is also a proposal that would close the four openings in the corners of the stadium to add more seats.

In 2011, the playing field was refurbished in part due to a naming rights sponsorship from Hawaiian Airlines. As a result of the sponsorship deal, the field was referred to as Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium.[26] The airline did not renew sponsorship after the deal expired in 2016. As a result, the field went unnamed until late August, when Hawaiian Tel Federal Credit Union signed a three-year $275,000 agreement. As of 2016, the field was known as Hawaiian Tel Federal Credit Union Field at Aloha Stadium.[27]

In early 2017, there was a study in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about replacing Aloha Stadium due to safety concerns and a liability risk. The plan is to build a smaller 30,000 seat stadium on the existing property and also build commercial development around the stadium. In theory, it would save the state millions of dollars instead of renovating and keep the existing stadium as it is.[28][29]

In July 2019, Governor of Hawaii David Ige signed Act 268 into law, appropriating $350 million for an Aloha Stadium redevelopment project. The funds will go toward the construction of a new stadium and land development, including a mixed-use sports and entertainment complex.[30]

Closure to new events

A December 17, 2020, announcement by the Aloha Stadium Authority stated that the stadium would be ceasing fan-attended operations indefinitely. The closure was related to financial issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The stadium, built in 1975, was also plagued by maintenance issues in recent years. A 2019 story from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser noted that the stadium needed $30 million in repairs. KHON-TV reported that the stadium would be condemned and was deemed unsafe to hold any crowds at all.[31][32] The scheduling of new events was also halted.[33] In January 2021, the University of Hawaii announced that the Rainbow Warriors football team would play their home games on campus "for at least the next three years".[34]

Events

American football

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors playing at the stadium

A joint service color guard parades the colors at mid-field during the 2007 Pro Bowl game

College football

Aloha Stadium served as the home field of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors college football program, representing the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, from 1975 through 2020.

The Hula Bowl, a college football all-star game, was first played at the stadium in January 1976 and returned to the stadium annually through 1997. It was again held at Aloha Stadium in 2006–2008 and 2020–2021. The 2021 Hula Bowl was the last football game held at the facility before the halting of new events.[35]

Three team-competitive college football bowl games were held annually at the stadium: the Aloha Bowl (1982–2000), Oahu Bowl (1998–2000), and Hawaii Bowl (2002–2019). The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors appeared in the Hawaii Bowl nine times and the other two bowl games once each.

Professional football

In 1975, the stadium was home to the World Football League's Hawaiians. The San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers played an NFL preseason game at Aloha Stadium on August 21, 1976. In August 2019, the NFL returned to the stadium with a preseason game between the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys.[36]

The National Football League's all-star game, the Pro Bowl, was held annually at the stadium from 1980 through 2016, except in 2010 and 2015.

Baseball

The stadium served as the home field for the Hawaii Islanders, a Triple-A team competing in the Pacific Coast League, from 1976 to 1987.

In 1997, a three-game regular season series between St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB) was held at the stadium.[37] The series was played as a doubleheader on April 19 and a nationally broadcast (ESPN) game on April 20.[38] In 1979, the Padres had played a three-game preseason series against the Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League at the stadium.[39]

Soccer

Aloha Stadium hosted the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship (February 20–23, 2008), a knockout soccer tournament, involving four teams from Japan's J-League, North America's Major League Soccer (MLS) and Australia/New Zealand's A-League.[40] The 2012 Hawaiian Islands Invitational was also held at the venue.

The United States women's national soccer team was scheduled play a game against Trinidad and Tobago as part of their World Cup Winning Victory Tour at the stadium on December 6, 2015; however, the game was canceled the day before gameday due to concerns over the turf being unsafe to play on.[41]

Date	Score	Competition	Attendance
February 20, 2008	Gamba Osaka 1-0 Los Angeles Galaxy	2008 Pan-Pacific Championship	15,128
	Sydney FC 0-3 Houston Dynamo
February 20, 2008	Sydney FC 1-2 Los Angeles Galaxy	2008 Pan-Pacific Championship Third-place Match	23,087
	Gamba Osaka 6-1 Houston Dynamo	2008 Pan-Pacific Championship Final

Rugby league

On June 2, 2013, the stadium played host to a rugby league test match where Samoa defeated the USA 34–10.[42]

In June, the Brisbane Broncos from the Australasian-based National Rugby League (NRL) competition organized for a rugby league match to be played at Aloha Stadium against NRL rivals Penrith Panthers later in 2015.[43] However, in September the NRL blocked the idea and the game didn't go ahead.[44]

Date	Visiting	Score	Home	Competition	Attendance
June 2, 2013	Samoa	34–10	United States	International Friendly	—

Major League Rugby

As of mid-2020, Kanaloa Hawai’i, a proposed Major League Rugby team, was planned to be based at Aloha Stadium.[45][46]

Graduation ceremonies

Aloha Stadium is also the venue for five public high school graduation ceremonies: Radford High School, Mililani High School, Aiea High School, James Campbell High School, and Pearl City High School.

Concerts

Date	Artist	Opening act(s)	Tour / Concert name	Attendance	Revenue	Notes
February 25, 1984	The Police	—	Synchronicity Tour	—	—
November 6, 1995	The Eagles	—	Hell Freezes Over Tour	—	—
January 3, 1997	Michael Jackson	—	HIStory World Tour	70,000	—	These were his only US shows that decade. Also, the first person to sell out the stadium.[47]
January 4, 1997				70,000
May 3, 1997	Gloria Estefan	—	Evolution World Tour	—	—
May 29, 1997	Whitney Houston	Bobby Brown	Pacific Rim Tour	29,118 / 29,118	$1,634,370	Bobby Brown opened up the show singing his hit tunes. Whitney was in disguise singing background vocals for Bobby. According to audience members, "when she came out, the crowd went wild. She sang very well even though she had a cold. She closed the show with "Step by Step".[48]
January 23, 1998	The Rolling Stones	Jonny Lang	Bridges To Babylon Tour	54,006 / 60,000	$3,317,190
January 24, 1998
February 21, 1998	Mariah Carey	—	Butterfly World Tour	30,415 / 30,415	$1,744,210	[49]
January 30, 1999	Janet Jackson	98 Degrees	The Velvet Rope Tour	38,224 / 38,224	$2,664,000	The capacity for this show was expanded from the original capacity of 35,000 to 38,000 to meet the high ticket demand.[50][51]
February 12, 1999	Celine Dion	—	Let's Talk About Love World Tour	—	—
December 31, 1999	Michael Jackson	—	Millennium Concert	Cancelled
February 16, 2002	Janet Jackson	Ginuwine	All for You Tour	32,211 / 33,511	$1,472,935	This concert was aired on HBO the following night and was later released on DVD and VHS, titled Janet: Live in Hawaii.[52][53] Missy Elliott also made a surprise appearance.
December 9, 2006	U2	Pearl Jam Rocco and the Devils	Vertigo Tour	45,815 / 45,815	$4,486,532	The band's first concert in Hawaii since 1985. Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day was the special guest.[54]
November 8, 2018	Bruno Mars	The Green Common Kings	24K Magic World Tour	113,751 / 113,751	$12,394,580
November 10, 2018
November 11, 2018
December 7, 2018	The Eagles	Jack Johnson	All the Light Above it Too World Tour	—	—
December 8, 2018	Guns N' Roses	—	Not in This Lifetime... Tour	22,485 / 23,000	—
February 15, 2019	Eminem	—	—	31,621 / 31,621	$3,089,448

See also

• List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums
• Weathering steel

References

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2. Masuoka, Brandon (April 29, 2003). "Aloha Stadium surface will be of NFL quality". The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
3. "Texas A and I crushes Hawaii". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. September 15, 1975. p. 15.
4. "Aloha Stadium – Trivia". Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
5. Gima, Craig (January 27, 2006). "Stadium corrosion creates a $129M safety concern". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
6. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
7. Muschamp, Herbert (January 28, 1999). "Charles Luckman, Architect Who Designed Penn Station's Replacement, Dies at 89". The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
8. "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Halawa CDP, HI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
9. Kaneshiro, Jason; Wu, Nina (December 17, 2020). "Aloha Stadium says goodbye to UH". hawaiitribune-herald.com. Tribune News Service. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
10. "Hawaii's premier Aloha Stadium Swap Meet an Outdoor Market in Hawaii|Aloha Outdoor Market, Flea Markets and Swap meet for shopping in Honolulu". Alohastadiumswapmeet.net. September 12, 1975. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
11. Crowley, Kurt (December 20, 2020). "'Metal Mecca' Aloha Stadium Closed Indefinitely". kacmedia.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
12. "Aloha Stadium Swap Meet "About Us" page". alohastadiumswapmeet.net. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009.
13. Kaneshiro, Stacy (July 4, 2009). "Islanders a fan hit during 27-year run". The Honolulu Advertiser.
14. Borsch, Ferd (May 8, 1976). "Islanders forfeit by 2 feet". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. 1. Retrieved January 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
15. Stewart, Chuck (September 1, 1976). "Sport Stew". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. p. 35 – via Google News.
16. "Salt Lake and Hawaii open PCL title go". Peninsula Daily News. Port Angeles, Washington. AP. September 8, 1976. p. 10. Retrieved January 23, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
17. Masuoka, Brandon (July 28, 2006). "Aloha Stadium losing baseball configuration". The Honolulu Advertiser. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
18. "Convertible Stadium". NASA. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
19. Kieding, Bob (2012). "Moving Seats". Popular Science. Wright's Media (October): 8.
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21. "Honolulu Star-Bulletin Breaking Stories". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. June 25, 1996. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
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26. Hawaiian Airlines Grabs Naming Rights To Aloha Stadium Field; SponsorPitch; 08-04-2011 Archived 2011-11-17 at the Wayback Machine
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28. "Study recommends smaller venue to replace Aloha Stadium". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
29. "Report: Aloha Stadium now a 'liability,' cheaper to build new stadium". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
30. Peterkin, Olivia (May 11, 2019). "Gov. Ige signs bill appropriating $350M to Aloha Stadium redevelopment project". Pacific Business News. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
31. "Aloha Stadium to shut down operations indefinitely". KHON2. December 17, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
32. Bromberg, Nick (December 17, 2020). "Hawaii without a home stadium after Aloha Stadium, a former Pro Bowl site, reportedly will be condemned". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
33. "New events halted at Aloha Stadium over virus, budget issues". The Washington Times. AP. December 18, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
34. Chinen, Kyle (January 11, 2021). "'Bows to play football home games on campus after Aloha Stadium fallout". hawaiinewsnow.com. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
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38. Arnett, Paul; Yuen, Mike (February 25, 1997). "Padres, Cardinals to play in Hawaii". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
39. "Sports today: Baseball". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. April 1, 1979. p. J-1. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
40. Carlos Alvarez-Galloso, Roberto (December 26, 2007). "2008 Pan-Pacific Championship: Make it more inclusive". MeriNews. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
41. "U.S. Soccer Cancels Dec. 6 Match against T&T in Hawaii Due to Field Conditions". US Soccer. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
42. "Tomahawks get ready for match-up with Na Toa Samoa at Aloha Stadium". KHON2. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
43. "Broncos Panthers To Play Match In Hawaii". triplem.com.au. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
44. "Exhibition matches are a bad idea in the USA – just look at the Wallabies!". theroar.com.au. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
45. "Professional rugby reaches Hawaii - Rugby World magazine". July 10, 2020.
46. "Pacific-owned Kanaloa Hawaii set to join Major League Rugby | RNZ News". July 14, 2020.
47. "King of Pop ends Hawaiian tour". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. (South Carolina). January 7, 1997. p. A2.
48. "The Pacific Rim Tour info". allwhitney.com. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
49. Events. Travel Hawaii for Smartphones and Mobile Devices – Illustrated Travel Guide. January 1, 2007. ISBN 978-1-60501-043-4. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
50. "Tickets still available for Janet concert". The Honolulu Advertiser. February 8, 2002. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
51. "Hawai'i-born dancer has Janet moving to his beat". Hawaii Advertiser. February 15, 2002. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
52. "Janet Heads To Hawaii For HBO Live Special". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
53. "Music DVD Review: Janet Jackson – Live in Hawaii (Re-Release)". Blog Critics. March 31, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
54. "U2 Honolulu, 2006-12-09, Aloha Stadium, Vertigo Tour - U2 on tour". U2gigs.com. Retrieved August 27, 2017.

External links

• Official website