Even with one fewer home game, University of Hawaii football did better at the box office in 2016 than the previous season.
According to audited figures furnished to the NCAA, turnstile attendance was up 20 percent in Nick Rolovich’s inaugural season as head coach over 2015.
On the way to a 7-7 finish that marked the first non-losing season in six years and a second-place divisional finish in the Mountain West, the Rainbow Warriors averaged 19,298 per game for six home dates in 2016. This after a 40-year low at Aloha Stadium of 16,082 over seven games in the 3-10 finish of 2015.
It marked the first upturn in attendance since 2012. Overall, attendance has been on a downward trend since the ’Bows averaged 34,742 in 2010, their last winning season.
The gain in the stands meant an average improvement of $112,237 per game in ticket revenues and premium seat contributions over 2015. Overall ticket and PSC revenues for 2016 totaled $4,257,880 for 2016, nearly $80,000 above the previous year.
Particularly significant was that sales of individual game tickets doubled on average, an indication the ’Bows gradually won over wait-and-see fans.
“That’s good to hear. I keep hearing the doldrums about how we’re not selling enough tickets,” Rolovich said.
Athletic director David Matlin said, “Coach Rolovich and his staff have done a great job in finding ways to win and create excitement through their grassroots effort to reach out to the community (and) we certainly hope the upward direction continues so we can all enjoy more fans at Aloha Stadium to support the Warriors in 2017.”
Football is tasked with being the main revenue generator for the 21-sport athletic program and in strong seasons it can contribute as much as 15 percent of the athletic department’s revenue through various streams, including tickets, media rights, sponsorships and contributions.
UH is soliciting $50 non-refundable deposits for new season tickets for the 2017 season. The campaign runs through April 17 and the deposits will be applied to the purchase price of the tickets, UH said.
