For the first 30 years of the relationship between Hawaii and the NFL, there was no question where the league would hold the Pro Bowl from one year to the next.

As then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle once put it, the annual all-star game would remain firmly in Hawaii, “Until they kick us out.”

But as the bunting goes up for Sunday’s game at Aloha Stadium — the 35th in 37 years on these shores — the future beyond this weekend is less clear.

For the third time in five years Hawaii hosts the game with no immediate guarantee it will be back the following year as the NFL ponders its options.

While the Hawaii Tourism Authority wants it back and some in the industry maintain it will return, the NFL has until March 31 to opt out of Honolulu for the 2017 game. The two-year agreement between the HTA and NFL signed in 2014 allows either party to vacate the contract by the deadline.

As of Monday an NFL spokesman was adamant, “No decisions have been made” for 2017.

New suitors

While Honolulu would appear to be the front-runner, indications are it might not be the only suitor. The Sydney Daily Telegraph reported Sunday that two Australian cities, Sydney and Melbourne, have expressed interest and Sydney “is preparing to put in a major bid” for next year’s game.

For the past year NFL officials have increasingly touted the idea of taking the game beyond the U.S. as part of its international reach. The only questions have been: How soon and where?

Under the current deal, Hawaii will pay the NFL $5 million each year — up from $4 million in 2014 — for Sunday’s game and ’17, if it is held here. In addition the state will pay $152,250 per year in expenses.

For its money, the HTA said the 2014 Pro Bowl generated $26.2 million in spending by visitors who came to Hawaii specifically to attend the event and produced $2.8 million in state tax revenue.

The event has been characterized as a “soft infomercial for Hawaii tourism,” by Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill and others have taken notice.

“We welcome any opportunity to bid on what is arguably one of the most exciting events on the world sporting calendar,” Stuart Ayres, New South Wales Minister for Sport, told the Daily Telegraph.

Factors to consider

NFL officials have said “proposals from potential sites, feedback from fans, players, coaches, sponsors, media and network partner,” are factors to be considered.

The decision comes as the game tries to rebound from a four-year slide in TV viewership from 13.4 million in 2011 to 8.8 million last year when it was held in Glendale, Ariz.

Meanwhile, announced attendance at the last two games played at Aloha Stadium, 47,270 in 2014 and 47,134 in 2013, was the lowest since the game moved here in 1980.

“We are absolutely committed to hosting the Pro Bowl in 2017 and honoring our contract with the NFL,” said George D. Szigeti, HTA President and CEO. “The Pro Bowl is a wonderful event for our state and the players love coming to Hawaii.”

Now we await the depth of the NFL’s commitment.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.