While spectators soon will be allowed to attend University of Hawaii-hosted sporting events, only a fraction of the tickets will be available to the general public.
Gov. David Ige and Mayor Rick Blangiardi jointly announced new COVID-19 protocols that will allow up to 1,000 spectators to attend UH football games at the Ching Complex and soccer matches at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium, and 500 fans for Rainbow Wahine volleyball matches at SimpliFi Arena. The new rules —which replace the current ban on spectators at UH-hosted sporting events — begin on Wednesday for outdoor games and Oct. 20 for indoor events.
For the Rainbow Warrior football team’s next home game, on Oct. 23 against New Mexico State, spectators will be required to be fully vaccinated and wear masks. There will be no exemptions to the vaccination requirement, restricting those not eligible for the shot, including children 12 and younger. Fans will be allowed bottled water, but will not be permitted to bring food into the complex.
The new rule caps outdoor events at 50% capacity or 1,000 spectators, whichever number is lower. That limits spectator attendance to 1,000 at the 9,000-seat Ching Complex.
Of that amount, UH is obligated to reserve 100 seats — 10% of capacity — to students in exchange for their activity fees. UH usually distributes four tickets to each Warrior player and coach. UH athletic director David Matlin said the visiting team will receive between 100 and 150 tickets. After setting aside tickets for corporate partners, Matlin said, “you’re looking at a few hundred” tickets for the general public.
Matlin said a priority system, which was established during the season-ticket drive in the spring, will be used to determine ticket distribution for football games. Top priority goes to season-ticket buyers who have donated a sizable amount.
Matlin said the 227-member Rainbow Warrior Marching Band does not count toward the 1,000-spectator limit. The band will perform from an area fronting UH’s sand volleyball courts. Assistant band director Gwen Nakamura has said all band members are fully vaccinated.
The Rainbow Wahine’s Oct. 14 soccer match against UC Irvine will be the first UH-hosted event under the new guidelines. The volleyball team’s first match with spectators will be Oct. 29 against UC Davis. The same requirements — full vaccination, masks and social distancing — will apply to both events.
Since July, UH officials have offered several proposals with the hope of allowing spectators. All scenarios involved requiring full vaccination and masks. UH also proposed not offering concessions and banning tailgating. Several attendance percentages were offered. Parents of UH football players pleaded in a petition to be allowed to attend games. UH offered to limit volleyball attendance to 150 in 10,000-seat SimpliFi. On Friday, with Ige and Blangiardi citing decreased COVID-19 infections and fewer hospitalizations, the restrictions on public gatherings were loosened.
In a statement to reporters, Matlin expressed “gratitude” for the easing on spectator restrictions. Asked if he was disappointed that the amendments did not allow for more spectators, Matlin said, “You know, today is a day to be grateful. We’re looking forward to having fans for our student-athletes, especially their parents.”
Matlin said UH will lobby to increase the spectator cap if Hawaii’s COVID-19 numbers continue to improve.
“Right now, our focus is to do a really good job with the thousand,” Matlin said. “I’m optimistic if we do that and things continue to trend in the same direction, I’m optimistic those (spectator) numbers can go up and will go up. One thing we’ve learned in the pandemic is you can’t take anything for granted. Things can change pretty quickly. We have to be agile and adjust to the circumstances.”
