The University of Hawaii at Manoa’s struggling athletics program is anticipating a $3.5 million deficit for the current year, with football ticket sales and fundraising coming in below targets, Athletic Director Ben Jay said Monday.

The estimated shortfall has more than doubled from a $1.5 million estimate Jay provided at a UH Board of Regents Intercollegiate Athletics Committee meeting in August.

“As we’ve gotten five months into the year and going into the sixth month, our financial condition has worsened, for several reasons,” he told the committee Monday. “Obviously, the football season has been disappointing. We’re currently at 2-8, but the fan ticket-purchasing has fallen off, and not unexpectedly, our revenues have suffered for it.”

Football ticket sales are projected to be off by $400,000 this year, he said.

Jay said donations from Ahahui Koa Anuenue — the designated organization for coordinating fundraising activities to support UH Manoa athletics —  are also down significantly.

“We were hopeful that under new leadership we would’ve had more opportunities to generate revenue with AKA, and that hasn’t come to fruition quite yet,” Jay said.

Donations are expected to be down by $700,000, while licensing income is expected to be off by $50,000. Jay said the program has also had to deduct any anticipated income from a post-season bowl game.

“Overall … we are looking at a net deficit at year-end of about $3.52 million as compared to $1.52 million when we originally proposed this budget,” he told the committee.

The university had already planned to ask the Legislature for $3 million in state funding to help the athletics program, which has run at a deficit for 11 of the last 13 years.

Jay said the $3 million in state funds would be “a start to keep our program vibrant.” But in the long term, he and other university officials said athletics will need financial commitments from the broader community through ticket sales, philanthropy, and more public funds.

Asked by reporters if the athletic department can afford to buy out head football Coach Norm Chow — who has two years remaining on his contract — given the program’s performance, Jay said he will perform a standard evaluation at the end of season.

“In terms of Coach Chow and the football program, we’re going to sit down at the end of the season to discuss how the year went, and I’m not making any decisions or judgments right now until the season plays itself out,” Jay said.