Ticket hikes The financial future of University of Hawaii athletics was put on hold for another month yesterday when the UH Board of Regents delayed a vote that would include raising ticket prices for Warrior football and Wahine volleyball beginning this season.
still on hold
The UH Board of Regents tables
the decision for 1 monthBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comThe regents apparently want to get a legal interpretation regarding two requests from the UH athletic department. The requests are for the establishment of individual game ticket prices for the two money-making fall sports as well as to transfer additional season tickets for all sports to Ahahui Koa Anuenue, the umbrella booster organization for UH athletics.
"They had questions of fiduciary responsibility and due diligence," said outgoing athletic director Hugh Yoshida. "There was a feeling of wanting a little more time to look at this.
"The requests are something we feel strongly about, that the department needs in order to take the next step."
The step includes raising $700,000-$920,000 for the athletic department. Some of the money would come through increasing the number of premium tickets under the control of Koa Anuenue, such as sideline seats at Aloha Stadium and lower-bowl seats at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Currently, Koa Anuenue is allotted 3,800 tickets.
Koa Anuenue is undergoing restructuring, a process that began last December when representatives of the various athletic booster groups met for two days of discussions.
One of the proposed increases would be $2 per sideline seat for each of the four Western Athletic Conference games, raising the price from $19 to $21. There would be a $1 increase in end zone seats to $16 and youth/seniors/UH student tickets to $12.
Wahine volleyball tickets would be priced according to the "marketability of the opponent," according to the proposal submitted to the regents. Where all tickets for adults in the lower section were $12 last year, the three-tier system prices tickets at $12, $13 and $14 for the lower section.
Also being proposed are mandatory contributions for premium seats at the stadium and arena. Last year, the premium seat assessment for football was $25 per seat. Koa Anuenue members paid $325 per seat, which included the $25 contribution.
The request for this year is for $50 per seat in what is considered non-premium seating. New season ticket holders will automatically become Koa Anuenue members and be required to contribute $300 per seat to be eligible to buy seats in the priority zone (J, K, L, M, JJ, KK, LL and MM in the orange and blue levels, and J, M, JJ, KK, LL and MM in the brown level).
There are also priority seating zone increases for men's basketball and volleyball. The total projected revenue from the increases for the four sports is $918,370 ($621,250 football; $107,720 men's basketball; $106,040 women's volleyball and $83,360 men's volleyball).
"It's got to happen if we want to get to the next level that everyone wants us at," said Don Murphy, president of the 800-plus Na Koa football boosters club. "We're way below what other schools are doing. Some schools get $400 for premium seats.
"It takes money if we're going to improve the facilities or just take better care of the facilities we have. And I see the proposal for centralizing the tickets through Koa Anuenue as a step toward better organization of the process."
There will be designated premium seating sections for those interested in purchasing season tickets for football, men's basketball, and men's and women's volleyball.
The regents will next meet June 23.
UH Athletics
