Aloha Stadium

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Aloha Stadium
nickname =


location = 99 Salt Lake Blvd
Aiea, HI 96701
broke_ground =
opened = September 12, 1975 [http://alohastadium.hawaii.gov/about/facts-1/ Aloha Stadium facts] , [http://alohastadium.hawaii.gov/ alohastadium.hawaii.gov/] ]
closed =
demolished =
owner = State of Hawaiokinai
operator = Stadium Authority, State of Hawaiokinai
surface = FieldTurfcite news
url = http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Apr/29/sp/sp04a.html
title = Aloha Stadium surface will be of NFL quality
author = Masuoka, Brandon
publisher = The Honolulu Advertiser
date = 2003-04-29
accessdate = 2008-02-04]
construction_cost = US$37 millioncite news
url = http://starbulletin.com/2006/01/27/news/story03.html
title = Stadium corrosion creates a $129M safety concern
author = Gima, Craig
publisher = The Honolulu Star-Bulletin
date = 2006-01-27
accessdate = 2008-02-04]
architect = The Luckman Partnership, Inc. [cite news
url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E3DD1139F93BA15752C0A96F958260
title = Charles Luckman, Architect Who Designed Penn Station's Replacement, Dies at 89
author = Muschamp, Herbert
publisher = The New York Times
date = 1999-01-28
accessdate = 2008-02-04]
former_names =
tenants = Hawaiokinai Warriors (NCAA) (1975–present)
Hawaiokinai Islanders (PCL) (1975–1987)
Team Hawaiokinai (NASL) (1977)
Pro Bowl (NFL) (1980–present)
Hula Bowl (NCAA) (1975–1997, 2006–)
Aloha Bowl (NCAA) (1982–2000)
Ookinaahu Bowl (NCAA) (1998–2000)
Hawaiokinai Bowl (NCAA) (2002–present)
seating_capacity = 50,000 [http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu/Facil/aloha.html Hawaii Athletics facility description page] , [http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu/ uhathletics.hawaii.edu] ]
dimensions = "Baseball": [ [http://www.andrewclem.com/Baseball/AlohaStadium.html Clem's Baseball ~ Aloha Stadium ] ]
Left Field – 325 ft
Center Field – 420 ft
Right Field – 325 ft

Aloha Stadium is a stadium located in okinaAiea, Hawaiokinai. Currently Aloha Stadium is home to the University of Hawaiokinai Warriors football team (Western Athletic Conference, NCAA Division I FBS). It has also been home to the National Football League's Pro Bowl since 1980 and the NCAA's Hula Bowl from 1975 to 1997 and again in 2006. It also hosts numerous high school football games during the season, and serves as a venue for large concerts and events. A swap meet in the stadium's parking lot every weekend draws large crowds. [http://www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net/Contents/AboutUs.asp] Aloha Stadium once served as home field for the AAA Hawaiokinai Islanders of the Pacific Coast League from 1975 to 1987 before the team moved to Colorado Springs.

History

Located west of downtown Honolulu and two miles north of Honolulu International Airport, Aloha Stadium was built in 1975 at a cost of $37 million. It was intended as a replacement for the aging Honolulu Stadium on King Street, demolished in 1976.

The first sporting event ever held at Aloha Stadium was a football game played between the University of Hawaii and Texas A&M on September 13, 1975. The crowd was 32,247. [ [http://www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net/Contents/AboutUs.asp Aloha Stadium Swap Meet "About Us" page] , [http://www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net/ alohastadiumswapmeet.net] ]

Aloha Stadium could be reconfigured into various configurations for different sport venues and other purposes, and was the first stadium in the United States with this capability. Four movable sections, each 3.5 million pounds and with a capacity of 7,000, could move using air cushions into a diamond configuration for baseball (also used for soccer), an oval for football, or a triangle for concerts. However, in January 2007, the stadium was permanently locked into its football configuration, citing cost and maintenance issues. [cite news
url = http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jul/28/sp/FP607280343.html
title = Aloha Stadium losing baseball configuration
author = Masuoka, Brandon
publisher = The Honolulu Advertiser
date = 2006-07-28
accessdate = 2008-02-04]

There have been numerous discussions with State of Hawaiokinai lawmakers who are concerned with the physical condition of the stadium. There are 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.

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 20-30 years. The new stadium would also be used to lure a potential Super Bowl to Hawaiokinai in the near future, possibly for 2016. [cite news
url = http://starbulletin.com/2006/04/03/sports/story01.html
title = Super Dreams: Bringing the 50th Super Bowl to the 50th state would be costly
author = Reardon, Dave
publisher = The Honolulu Star-Bulletin
date = 2006-04-03
accessdate = 2008-02-04] [cite news
url= http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/story;jsessionid=BAA83F9A58DD98CF8F596EE9C7A18308?id=09000d5d80865226&template=with-video&confirm=true
title = Breakdown of cities vying for 2012 Super Bowl
author =
publisher = NFL.com
date = 2008-05-20
accessdate = 2008-05-20]

One council member has said that if immediate repairs are not made within the next seven years, then the stadium will probably have to be demolished due to safety concerns. In May 2007, the state alloted $12.4 million to be used towards removing corrosion and rust from the structure. [cite news
url = http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/May/11/ln/FP705110373.html
title = Stadium rust to get $12.4M treatment
author = Arakawa, Lynda
publisher = The Honolulu Advertiser
date = 2007-05-11
accessdate = 2008-02-04]

Expansion and Improvements

In 2003, the stadium surface was changed from AstroTurf (which had been in place since the stadium opened) to FieldTurf.

2008, the state of Hawaii approved the bill of $185 million to refurbish the aging Aloha Stadium [http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080627/NEWS01/806270385] . The Aloha Stadium Authority plans to add more luxury suites, replacing all seats, rusting treatments, parking lots, more restrooms, pedestrian bridge supports, enclosed lounge, and more. There is also a proposal that would close the 4 opening corners of the stadium to add more seats.

Gallery

Events

In by|1997, a three-game regular season series between Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres was held at the stadium. [cite news
url = http://starbulletin.com/97/02/25/sports/story1.html
title = Padres, Cardinals to play in Hawaii
author = Arnett, Paul and Yuen, Mike
publisher = The Honolulu Star-Bulletin
date = 1997-02-25
accessdate = 2008-02-04] The series was played in with a doubleheader on April 19 and a nationally broadcast (ESPN) game on April 20. In 1975, the Padres had played an exhibition series against the Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League.

Aloha Stadium has also been used for large-scale concerts, including The Police in their final US concert on their Synchronicity Tour in 1984, Michael Jackson's HIStory World Tour in 1997, The Rolling Stones on their Bridges to Babylon Tour in 1998, Celine Dion on her Let's Talk About Love Tour in 1999, and the final shows of Mariah Carey's Butterfly World Tour in 1998, , the final stops on U2's Vertigo Tour in 2006 and Janet Jackson's All for You Tour in 2002, which was broadcast on HBO as well as her 1999 Velvet Rope World Tour which broke stadium attendance records.

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. [cite news
url = http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=128203
title = 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship: Make it more inclusive
author = Carlos Alvarez-Galloso, Roberto
publisher = MeriNews
date = 2007-12-26
accessdate = 2008-02-04]

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 hold their graduation ceremony at the stadium in early June.

References

External links

* [http://www.alohastadium.hawaii.gov Official site for Aloha Stadium]
* [http://www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net Official site for Aloha Stadium Swap Meet]
* [http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu/Facil/aloha.html Aloha Stadium - University of Hawaiokinai Athletics Dept.]

succession box
title = Host of the
Hawaiokinai Warriors
years = 1975 – present
before = Honolulu Stadium
after = incumbent succession box
title = Host of the
Hawaiokinai Bowl
years = 2002 – present
before = first stadium
after = incumbent succession box
title = Host of the
NFL Pro Bowl
years = 1980 – present
before = Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
after = incumbent