The University of Hawaii is urging state officials to give it a greater share of the money its football team helps generate at Aloha Stadium, the UH Board of Regents was told Wednesday.

Under questioning by the regent Chuck Gee, athletic director Jim Donovan said, "I have externally (talked) with people that would be in a position of power (to) help and facilitate something like that."

Spokespersons for the stadium and Aloha Stadium Authority declined comment.

A spokesman for Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s administration said, "I’m not aware of any negotiations from the Governor’s office in the issue of revenues to help (UH)."

Donovan declined to be specific, but said the talks have "really run the gamut from taking over control of the stadium, which I’m not sure the university wants to do, to potentially transferring some of the funds at the end of the fiscal year to the athletic department. Or, reducing the costs and or providing us a percentage of revenue that is generated from various aspects."

UH is the facility’s major on-field tenant, playing approximately seven home games per season at Aloha Stadium in addition to frequent Sheraton Hawaii Bowl appearances.

Regular season games are said to generate about $1 million per year for the stadium through parking, concessions and other revenues. UH is responsible for nearly $100,000 per event in various operational costs, including cleanup.

UH had been paying a percentage of ticket revenue, averaging approximately $350,000 per year in rent until 2008, when the stadium authority waived rental charges.

Though the athletic department finished $858,000 in the black for the most recent fiscal year that closed June 30, 2011, it has forecast deficits for the current and following fiscal years and is trying to get out from under nearly $10 million in accumulated net deficit built up since 2002.

Donovan told regents that athletic directors going back to the late Stan Sheriff (1983-93) have complained about the incongruity of paying for cleanup when UH doesn’t share in concession revenue.

Donovan said UH is allowed to resell some parking spaces to donors, an enterprise that has raised about $325,000 the past two seasons, but otherwise receives revenue only from ticket sales, its own on-field signage and "1 or 2 percent" of merchandise sales. He said UH does not share in revenue from the Hawaiian Airlines field naming rights, message board or other signage.