HONOLULU (KHON2) — The future of the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warrior football program is uncertain due to recent restructuring in the Mountain West Conference, with some saying setbacks in the rebuilding of Aloha Stadium are to blame.
Get Hawaii’s breaking morning news in your inbox, sign up for News 2 You
Aloha Stadium officially closed in 2021, with a new stadium scheduled to be built by 2023. After several false starts and blunders, the rusted, dilapidated facility still stands, and the proposal for Aloha Stadium’s new entertainment district is still pending.
Pac-12 wants to rebuild its football squad with these Mountain West schools
Hawaii football analyst Rich Miano said it was a shame for the Rainbow Warriors.
“I think it has an immediate impact, but also a long-term impact in terms of Hawaii continuing to be a major league football program and whether the Mountain West wants Hawaii to continue to be a member?” Miano asked.
Now that Pac-12 has poached four of the top teams from the Mountain West, Miano says the future of the program is at stake.
“I think there’s no stadium, no performance center, no gymnasium, no nutrition center, no premier league facilities and the icing on the cake is there’s no stadium,” he explained. “I think that’s affected this program in terms of recruiting, in terms of financial resources, in terms of vision, in terms of leadership and in terms of the future of this program and it’s not just about football.”
Two developer groups are selected to submit plans for the new Aloha Stadium
The good news, according to the chairman of the stadium authority, is that they are moving forward with the current proposal.
The proposal for the project was submitted by Aloha Halawa Development Partners in late July. Final designs are expected to be completed by 2025, with the new stadium scheduled to open in summer 2028.
“We fully expect that the proposal can be accepted as compliant. And that’s why we’re already having some of the deeper discussions with Aloha Halawa Development Partners,” Morioka explained. “So we’re actually a little bit ahead of the game.”
Senator Glenn Wakai, a strong supporter of the NASED project, said the state would contribute several hundred million and the AHDP would cover all remaining costs.
For more news from Hawaii, click here
“Unlike the railroad, which is a total bottomless pit, this is a public-private partnership,” Wakai added. “The state is contributing $350 million, not a penny more. So Stanford Carr is giving us a $600-700 million project, and that’s on them.”
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video, visit KHON2.
