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Having a ball at Waipio

By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Today was the grand opening of the Waipio Soccer Complex.
Festivities included a game between the Strikers
and Pearl City United, above.

Soccer complex opens
with parade, contests,
collegiate match

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Star-Bulletin staff

Soccer games, clinics and a parade today kicked off the grand opening of the city's 288-acre Waipio Soccer Complex, with thousands of soccer players, fans and family members taking part.

The $12.5 million park -- on Waipio Peninsula between Pearl Harbor's Middle Loch and West Loch -- boasts 19 regulation fields and a 3,000-seat stadium with lights.

GRAND OPENING Today was the grand opening of the Waipio Soccer Complex. The $12.5 million park -- on Waipio Peninsula between Pearl Harbor's Middle Loch and West Loch -- has 19 regulation fields and a 3,000-seat stadium with lights. An Olympic-style parade of soccer teams will start at 6 p.m. Lighting of the soccer flame by the relay torch used in the 1996 Olympic Games is set for 7:05 p.m. Following that will be a fireworks display and a women's collegiate game between Oregon State and Northern Arizona.

Among the activities were "huge inflatable extreme games," soccer skills games and watermelon-eating contests.

An Olympic-style parade of soccer teams, led by Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawaii, was to start at 6 p.m.

Lighting of the Soccer Flame by the relay torch used in the 1996 Olympic Games is set for 7:05 p.m. today.

Following that will be a fireworks display and a women's collegiate soccer game between Oregon State and Northern Arizona.

"We've been working on this development for six long years," said Mayor Jeremy Harris, "and I'd like to thank my city team, the U.S. Navy and Castle & Cooke for making this a reality for the 30,000 soccer players on Oahu and numerous others who are interested in scheduling international tournaments in Hawaii."