Aloha Stadium
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox venue Aloha Stadium is a closed multi-purpose stadium in Halawa, Hawaii, a census-designated place that is a western suburb of Honolulu.<ref name="Halawa CDP, Hawaii">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is the largest stadium in the state of Hawaii. Template:Asof, the stadium ceased fan-attended operations indefinitely, and placed a moratorium on the scheduling of new events.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It is located next to the Hālawa station of the Skyline rail system.
Aloha Stadium served as home to the [[University of Hawaii at Manoa|University of HawaiTemplate:Okinai]] Rainbow Warriors football team (Mountain West Conference, NCAA Division I FBS) for the 1975 through 2020 seasons. It also hosted college football's [[Hawaii Bowl|HawaiTemplate:Okinai 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 draw large crowds.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
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 Template:Convert 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".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The baseball field was aligned north-northwest (home plate to centerfield), as was 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.<ref name=crushop/> Played on Saturday night, the crowd was 32,247,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the visitors prevailed, Template:Nowrap
The final sporting event held in Aloha Stadium was the 2021 Hula Bowl. The last points scored at Aloha Stadium were a “pick 6” touchdown scored by Carlo Kemp of the University of Michigan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The stadium was somewhat problematic for its initial primary tenant, the minor league baseball Hawaii Islanders. Located in south-central Oahu, it was far from the team's fan base in Mōʻiliʻili, 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.<ref name=Advertiser>Template:Cite news</ref>
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.<ref name=forfeit>Template:Cite news</ref> In response, stadium management turned off the center field lights, and after 35 minutes, umpires forfeited the game to the Twins.<ref name=forfeit/> The Islanders protested, claiming they had no control over the lights.<ref name=forfeit/> 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.<ref name=Advertiser/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As originally built, Aloha Stadium had various configurations for different sport venues and other purposes. Four movable 7,000-seat sections, each Template:Convert<ref name="capacity" /> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> An engineer from Rolair Systems, the NASA spin-off company that engineered the system,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> claims that the problem was caused by a concrete contractor that ignored specifications for the concrete pads under the stadium.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
ConcernsEdit
There were numerous discussions with Hawaii lawmakers who were concerned with the physical condition of the stadium. There were also 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.<ref name="rust" /> Much of the rust was due to building the stadium with weathering steel. U.S. Steel Corporation suggested the steel would develop a protective patina that would eliminate the need for painting.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, given Honolulu's ocean-salt-laden climate, the steel never stopped rusting.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 Template:Nowrap years.
One council member said that if immediate repairs were not made within the next seven years, then the stadium would 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Expansion and improvementsEdit
In 2003, the stadium surface was changed from AstroTurf (which had been in place since the stadium opened) to FieldTurf.<ref name="turf" /> 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.<ref name="$135 million">Template:Cite news</ref> 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 planned to add more luxury suites, replacing all seats, rusting treatments, parking lots, more restrooms, pedestrian bridge supports, an enclosed lounge, and more. There was also a proposal that would have enclosed 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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 was then to build a smaller 30,000 seat stadium on the existing property and also build commercial development around the stadium. In theory, this would save the state millions of dollars instead of renovating and keep the existing stadium as it was.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In July 2019, Governor of Hawaii David Ige signed Act 268 into law, appropriating $350 million for an Aloha Stadium redevelopment project. The funds were to go toward the construction of a new stadium and land development, including a mixed-use sports and entertainment complex.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Closure to new eventsEdit
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.<ref name=closure></ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The scheduling of new events was also halted.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
New stadiumEdit
Template:Anchor The New Aloha Stadium is a proposed 25,000–35,000 seat multi-purpose stadium to be built in Halawa, Hawaii, for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football program, with demolition of the old stadium to begin in 2025.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The area around the stadium will also include entertainment venues, retail stores, restaurants, housing, hotels, recreational sites, cultural amenities, and green space. It will replace, and be constructed on the site of, the current Aloha Stadium.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
EventsEdit
American footballEdit
College footballEdit
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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 footballEdit
Starting in September 1975, the stadium was home to the World Football League's Hawaiians<ref name="Tominaga 2021">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Honolulu Magazine 2021">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> who played their last four home games there.<ref name="Cusano — The Hawaiians">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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.
BaseballEdit
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 Template:Mlby, a three-game regular season series between St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB) was held at the stadium.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Called the Padres Paradise Series, the series was played as a doubleheader on April 19 and a nationally broadcast (ESPN) game on April 20.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1979, the Padres had played a three-game preseason series against the Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League at the stadium.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
SoccerEdit
On April 7, 1976, the Aloha Soccer Festival triple-header was held at the stadium. In the feature match, Pelé scored four goals as his New York Cosmos defeated Japan, 5-0, in front of a crowd of 21,705. (In the other matches, the NASL's San Diego Jaws routed the Hawaii All-Stars, 6-0, while the Philippines edged Taiwan, 1-0.)<ref>Pele Delivers The Goods, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, April 8, 1976, p. E-1</ref>
Encouraged by the tournament's success, the San Antonio Thunder became Team Hawaii in 1977, bringing the NASL to the Aloha State. Pelé and the Cosmos returned on April 13, 1977, as 12,877 watched New York defeat Hawaii, 2-1. (None of Team Hawaii's other twelve home games drew even half of that; they managed only 4,543 per game for the season, and moved to Tulsa in 1978.)
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 2012 Hawaiian Islands Invitational was also held at the venue.
The United States women's national soccer team was scheduled to 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;"|Date | style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;"|Score | style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;"|Competition | style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;"|Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 20, 2008 | Gamba Osaka Template:Flagicon 1–0 Template:Flagicon Los Angeles Galaxy | 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship | 15,128 |
| Sydney FC Template:Flagicon 0–3 Template:Flagicon Houston Dynamo | |||
| February 23, 2008 | Sydney FC Template:Flagicon 1–2 Template:Flagicon Los Angeles Galaxy | 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship Third-place Match |
23,087 |
| Gamba Osaka Template:Flagicon 6–1 Template:Flagicon Houston Dynamo | 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship Final |
RugbyEdit
On June 2, 2013, the stadium played host to a rugby league test match where Samoa defeated the USA 34–10.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, in September the NRL blocked the idea and the game didn't go ahead.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;"|Date | style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;"|Visiting | style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;"|Score | style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;"|Home | style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;"|Competition | style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;"|Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2, 2013 | Template:Rl | 10–34 | Template:Rl | International Friendly | — |
| July 19, 2014 | Template:Rl | 18–12 | Template:Rl | International Friendly | — |
Aloha Stadium also hosted the Aloha World Sevens.Template:Citation needed
In 2020 it was proposed that Kanaloa Hawai’i, a proposed Major League Rugby (MLR) team, be based at Aloha Stadium after "a few years" in a smaller venue;<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> however, MLR and Kanaloa Hawai’i did not reach an agreement for the team to join the league.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Graduation ceremoniesEdit
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.
ConcertsEdit
| width=12% style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;|Date | width=10% style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;|Artist | width=10% style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;|Opening act(s) | width=16% style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;|Tour / Concert name | width=10% style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;|Attendance | width=10% style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;|Revenue | width=20% style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle;|Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 25, 1984 | The Police | — | Synchronicity Tour | — | — | |||
| November 6, 1995 | 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| January 4, 1997 | ||||||||
| 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 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 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 | <ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | ||
| January 30, 1999 | Janet Jackson | 98 Degrees | The Velvet Rope Tour | 38,224 / 38,224 | $2,664,000 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| February 12, 1999 | Celine Dion | — | Let's Talk About Love World Tour | 22,381 / 22,381 | $1,326,805 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | ||
| June 1, 2000 | Tube | — | Tube Live Around Special June.1.2000 in Aloha Stadium | — | — | The band marked their 15th anniversary with their first-ever US show - a day the state commemorated as "TUBE Day". | ||
| 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 later released on DVD and VHS as Janet: Live in Hawaii.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="HBO">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 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 |
In popular cultureEdit
Aloha Stadium appeared in the climax of the 2006 animated television film Leroy & Stitch, the finale film to Lilo & Stitch: The Series and the main continuity of the Lilo & Stitch franchise. In the film's final act, Dr. Hämsterviel and his Leroy army dump Jumba Jookiba's first 624 genetic experiments into the stadium to be destroyed, only for Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, Pleakley, Gantu, and Reuben to arrive and stop Hämsterviel. After a fight between the experiments and the Leroys, the main heroes throw an impromptu concert (initially set up for a fictional event called "Alohapalooza"), performing "Aloha ʻOe" to trigger a failsafe to shut down the Leroys. Although the stadium is not identified by name, it is confirmed to be Aloha Stadium through a special thanks credit in the film's closing credits.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>
In season three, episode three of the CBS television series NCIS: Hawai'i (first aired February 26, 2024), titled "License to Thrill", Aloha Stadium was the setting for a fictional extreme motorsports exhibition, World of Hyperdrome.
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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