Friday, May 21, 1999

UH tickets prices
on way up

Fans will have to pay the
premium for the Rainbows'
hottest football games

By Susan Kreifels
and Craig Gima

Star-Bulletin

Rainbow fans at Players sports bar downtown say raising football ticket prices after an 0-12 season is a bad idea, but most said they would reluctantly pay the price.

"I figure when they start winning they can raise prices," said Darryl Tamura. "How can you tell somebody to buy something if it's not a winning product."

But while Tamura is not inclined today to pay up to $21 for a seat when the University of Southern California plays Hawaii on Sept. 4, he concedes he might change his mind. "You might get the fever -- Rainbow fever," he said.

The University of Hawaii Board of Regents yesterday approved $5 increases for the hottest games.

Tickets will be priced according to "tiers." Tier I, the most popular games like USC, will cost $21 for sideline seats, $19 for end zones, and $14 for youths, seniors citizens and UH students. The respective costs for all games last season except Michigan were $16, $14 and $9.

Tier II, like the Washington State and Navy games, will cost $18, $16 and $11. Tier III, which includes all Western Athletic Conference teams, will run $17, $15 and $10. Tier IV, all other games that are not as popular, will stay at last year's prices.

The price of season tickets will not change.

The last three seasons of losing streaks have seen slumps in walk-up ticket sales.

David Matlin, assistant ticket manager, said the increases are expected to boost next season's revenues by $35,000-$165,000, depending on the team's performance under new football coach June Jones.

Hugh Yoshida, UH athletic director, said the higher prices are still competitive with other schools UH plays, and below some WAC schools. Prices haven't increased since 1993.

Yoshida said football tickets were a tough sell with a 0-12 season and said Jones is "selling the program."

Yoshida said UH in the near future will be looking at "scaling the house" -- pricing all seats according to their location.

Yoshida said with the price increases, the university athletics program was "working toward a balanced budget" after close to $635,000 of cuts in state funding since 1994.

Extra money will go for scholarships and women's sports programs to meet federal gender equity guidelines, said Yoshida.