The three questions I get asked most about Aloha Stadium haven’t changed. They’re the same, even after Gov. David Ige signed off on $400 million of state money for the new 35,000-seat multi-use facility and surrounding entertainment district:
1. When will the old stadium be destroyed?
2. When will the new one be ready for football?
3. Are they ever going to close the swap meet?
And the answer is still the same for all of them:
No one really knows.
Of course, there are projections. There always are. And they always change — they get pushed even further into the future because of some technicality and/or some very vague excuse.
Here are the latest guesstimates from sources close to all of it who don’t want to be named (can’t say I blame ’em).
1. Sometime next year.
2. In time for the 2026 football season.
3. Maybe someday. But it’s safe for now.
No. 1 gets asked a lot because people love to watch buildings get blown up or torn down. The state could probably sell tickets for the demolition.
Remember when the plan was to construct a new stadium before the old one was demolished? I actually know a University of Hawaii football fan who was disappointed when that was changed, and the new one will now be built on the same site as the old one.
His displeasure was not because UH wouldn’t have a full-size stadium to play in for a while. He’s sad because he now has to wait till who-knows-when to see some good old-fashioned destruction.
No. 2’s answer is crazy, right? Yeah, due to the state of the world, probably unavoidable, but still unacceptable. We’re talking four more seasons at the on-campus mini-park.
That means most of the current Warriors team won’t get a chance to play at the new one; this season’s second-year guys will never have played at Aloha Stadium — old or new. And those whose first year was 2020 played in the old one when 49,900 seats were empty and the other 100 or so occupied by life-size pictures of fans. (Whenever you think life is the strangest it’s ever been, remember that.)
First-year head coach Timmy Chang is full of positive energy, so he’ll make the best of it on the recruiting trail. Of course there are advantages to playing on campus that he can point out. And, with just 9,000 seats to fill at the Ching Athletic Complex, every home game should be a sellout.
But you know this will be used against UH by its opponents. Actually, I’m certain it already is. It’s always been said that recruiting never ends, and now with such easy access to the transfer portal it’s no exaggeration.
No. 3 might seem like a joke, but it really isn’t. The swap meet is the livelihood for a lot of people, and brings in about $4 million a year for the state.
It doesn’t require an actual stadium — just a parking lot. The stadium lot also hosts the annual 50th State Fair, which returned last month after a two-year hiatus.
And yes, there are other questions, such as: Who will build the new stadium (and the entertainment district)? And why is it expected to take so long?
Those two questions go together because there are still three companies vying for the stadium construction, and two others for the surrounding development — and the state can’t send them the official requests for proposal until there’s a finalized environmental impact statement.
You swear you read or heard somewhere that the EIS was done, right? You’re not imagining things, it’s done.
The governor hasn’t signed it yet, though. So, the money’s approved, but nothing can be done with it until that signed EIS gets into the right hands.
The current timeline says the builders will be chosen early next year, and construction starts in early 2024.
If we use Snapdragon Stadium for comparison, two years seems about right for actual construction time. They broke ground for San Diego State’s new 35,000-seater in August 2020, and it’s on schedule to open Sept. 3 when the Aztecs start their season against Arizona.
But why so long here, overall? Why four years from securing the money to opening the stadium?
That answer’s easy.
It’s the same reason UH gave for not adding more seats at Ching field this offseason, and why all different kinds of items we took for granted aren’t available whenever we want them.
Supply chain issues anticipated.
