A decade ago when the Pan-Pacific Championships were played at Aloha Stadium, pro soccer events were heralded as the coming attraction, something that would fill the gaps in the calendar — and seats — between football seasons at the facility.

But two years into the Pacific Rim Cup you have to wonder.

Not about soccer as a sport, but about the promotion and packaging of it as an attraction here lately.

The Pan-Pacific Championships announced 23,087 for their 2008 event, said to be the largest crowd to see a soccer event here. An appearance by Pele and the New York Cosmos attracted 21,705 in 1976, the second year of Aloha Stadium’s existence.

Fast-forward to this year. The Aloha Stadium Authority was told Thursday that the four matches of the Pacific Rim Cup spread over Feb. 8 and 10 at the facility drew a combined 5,811. A keiki soccer clinic and all-star game drew an additional 645, according to the report.

The tournament website said, “More than 12,000 people attended (the) two-day tournament at Aloha Stadium, exceeding (the) 2018 attendance count.” (Officials at the New York headquarters of promoter Blue United were not immediately available for comment).

Citing Aloha Stadium figures, manager Scott Chan said “I thought the soccer was very good quality and entertaining.” Chan said, “I don’t want to say that we’re disappointed, but those weren’t the numbers that we wanted to see.”

Hawaii Tourism Authority officials said Thursday they were also concerned and will re-evaluate whether they will continue to help sponsor the event, which received $300,000 in funding this year.

“We have a limited amount of funds (to invest) and we have to get the biggest impact from them,” said Chris Tatum, who was appointed chief executive officer and president of the HTA in November.

Tatum said the HTA is looking for the amount of exposure and attraction the event can provide for the state, as well as the interaction opportunities it can furnish for local youngsters with the professionals. “It is a balance,” Tatum said.

Some of that “balance” and target audience was missing in action this year due to scheduling that had parts of the Pacific Rim event taking place as The Queen’s Medical Center/Hawaii High School Athletic Association’s Boys State Tournament played out at the Waipio Soccer Complex.

To be sure, pro soccer events have faced a bumpy road here in recent years.

The 2012 Hawaiian Islands Invitational matching an MLS team with clubs from Japan, South Korea and Australia drew approximately 12,000 over two nights but never returned.

And, of course, the scheduled 2015 appearance by the U.S. Women’s National Team for an exhibition against Trinidad and Tobago never took place when the stadium got caught in the middle of an 11th-hour struggle between the team and its national governing body, U. S. Soccer.

This year, the Pacific Rim Cup featured teams from Japan — Iwaki FC and V-Varen Nagasaki — as well as Real Salt Lake and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer.

The Pan Pacific Championships in 2008 had the star power of David Beckham, then of the Los Angeles Galaxy, and Kamehameha Schools graduate Brian Ching of the Houston Dynamo, as well as teams from Japan (Gamba Osaka) and Australia (Sydney FC).

“The popularity of the sport has certainly grown here (since 2008), so I’m not sure why the (attendance) numbers haven’t,” Chan said.

But part of the difference has undoubtedly been that the Pan-Pacific had heavy advance and steady week-of-the-event promotion, items that seemed lacking with the Pacific Rim Cup.

The numbers say pro soccer promoters need to find a way to put their best foot forward.

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