It is going on six seasons now since the University of Hawaii last attracted a sellout crowd at Aloha Stadium, the second-longest drought in its 38-year tenancy.
Without prospects of ending it anytime soon, athletic director Ben Jay is looking, in his words, at the possibility of “squeezing the stadium” to better suit the Warriors’ thin wallet.
What Jay has said he envisions is consolidating fans in some areas and removing other sections from use in the 50,000-seat facility to reduce the school’s nearly $80,000 per game operating and cleanup costs. Also under study is reconfiguring the student sections and expanding the family sections.
If Jay goes through with even the front part of this restructuring — and the next couple of weeks should tell the tale — it will be the boldest initiative attempted there by UH since premium seating was imposed in 2003.
But “bold” doesn’t always equate to smooth or popular as UH was reminded when it instituted that seating surcharge a decade ago and, later, began selling season parking passes. The howls persist to this day.
Both of those ventures came in comparative good times, not in the wake of back-to-back losing seasons. So it will be interesting and revealing to see how far and deep Jay, who was installed in the office as an agent of change, presses with an overhaul.
To date, the narrowing of athletic teams nicknames has been the biggest change Jay has wrought at UH, but that didn’t come with much potential for financial backlash.
However, closing off as many as 7,366 seats in the red and yellow sections of the end zones to cut cost could.
“What I’m targeting right now are the upper levels on both ends of the end zone,” Jay said.
That could be nearly 15 percent of the available seating. And while it isn’t as choice as some locations, it does have its hard-core regulars, both in terms of season tickets and individual game sales, and they would require some relocation and accommodation.
Throw in a major repackaging of the student sections and new family areas, and you are talking about altering nearly a quarter of the stadium seating plan.
UH no longer pays rent at the state-owned and operated facility and doesn’t share in concessions revenue, but is charged for cleanup and operational costs. That includes ushers, parking attendants, ticket takers, box office personnel, security and trash cleanup.
Jay declined to say how much he hopes to save or how many season-ticket holders might be impacted, saying “the stadium is getting me some estimates on what the cost savings might be.” But at UH, where the athletic department is projected to run a $2 million deficit this season on top of an $11.3 accumulated net deficit, Jay notes, “Every bit helps.”
Of course, a return to winnings ways on the field would help even more. As Tiger Woods and Nike remind us these days, “Winning takes care of everything.”
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Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
