Campaign Launched to Bring UH Football to Campus

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa launched a campaign to raise funds for a project to retrofit the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Funds raised will benefit UH Football by bringing home games from the Aloha Stadium to the UH Mānoa campus.

When it was announced in December 2020 that the Rainbow Warrior Football program would no longer be able to play their home games at Aloha Stadium in front of fans, the University of Hawaiʻi decided to bring UH Football to Mānoa. 

The Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in the heart of the Mānoa campus will be the new home for UH Football. Retrofitting the complex to be ready to host the Rainbow Warrior football games for the 2021 season will cost more than $6 million. 

Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno said, “Bringing UH Football back to campus will energize the Mānoa campus as a place for our students, faculty and staff, alumni, our neighbors and donor communities to be deeply connected. There is great momentum behind this plan and the financial support from our community will be essential.”

The plan includes increasing seating capacity; installing a new scoreboard and sound system; upgrading the press box; and other amenities needed to host Division I FBS college football games.

Athletics Director David Matlin said, “We have a big opportunity here! This isn’t just about relocating the team’s games. It’s an exciting time for rethinking the whole fan experience and revitalizing student engagement. The unique atmosphere that comes with on-campus college football will be a great addition to campus life and the entire UH community.” 

Gifts made in support of the campaign for the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex will benefit UH Football. The space will also be a new gathering place for outdoor events for the whole community, including youth football, concerts, high school graduations, and possibly international tournaments and sporting events. 

The state-of-the-art Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex opened in 2015, it is home to UH’s beach volleyball, soccer and track & field teams and it’s a practice facility for UH Rainbow Warrior & Wahine student-athletes.