[ HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ]
STAR-BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2002
First Hawaiian will bankroll the HHSAA state football championships, taking over for Chevron. Saint Louis, which beat Castle in last year's final, will try to defend its title.
HHSAA banking
on football sponsorFirst Hawaiian Bank may use
its branches to sell tickets
for the two state tournaments
Banking and high school football are normally worlds apart, but not anymore in Hawaii.
This fall, football fans might be able to purchase tickets to the state tournament and do their banking at the same time.
First Hawaiian Bank, which signed on with the Hawaii High School Athletic Association as the title sponsor of the 14-team, two-division football tournament, is looking into using its 56 branches as ticket outlets.
"It's something we're pursuing but haven't finalized yet," said Brandt Farias, a First Hawaiian Bank senior vice president. "It's possible to use the branches as outlets because the tournaments are open seating. If it was reserved seating, we couldn't do it."
The title sponsorship deal is for one year with an option for two more.
Specific figures haven't been released, but both the bank and Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive director Keith Amemiya confirmed the deal is worth "six figures" for each of the three years if it goes that far.
"That's just a baseline figure for us," said Walter Dods, the chief executive officer of BancWest Corporation, which owns First Hawaiian Bank. "We're going to promote the heck out of it. Anyone who knows what we do as far as sponsorship goes knows we go all out -- whether it's Bloodbank drives or Foodbank drives or hundreds of other events we're involved with.
"That (six figures) is just our opening salvo."
Chevron was the title sponsor of the state football tournament from its inception in 1999 to 2002 and has been involved in helping the HHSAA since 1998. The company will still be involved in sponsoring other HHSAA-run state tournaments.
"We're constantly evaluating the sponsorships we're involved in," Chevron spokesman Albert Chee said. "We plan on maintaining a very good working relationship with the HHSAA and continue working with Keith to find out where we can help."
Chevron was also the title sponsor of the girls softball state tournament and a secondary sponsor for all of the other state tournaments for the past three years, but Chee said the company's future HHSAA sponsorships are subject to negotiation.
Chee said Chevron's title sponsorship for the football tournament was worth $100,000 for each of the first three years.
Dods said the six-figure amount of the new deal (which, like the Chevron deal, will be paid in cash, services and marketing) shouldn't surprise anyone.
"It's not a sinister secret or anything," Dods said. "We don't give out the figure for competitive reasons, that's all."
Amemiya approached the bank about the football title sponsorship when he found out that Chevron might not continue in that role.
"But before we pursued it, we wanted to make sure Chevron wasn't going to be the lead sponsor," Farias said. "Once Keith confirmed that, we started working on it."
Dods said part of the reason First Hawaiian Bank joined up with the HHSAA is because of the hard work Amemiya and his staff put in toward the improvement of high school sports in Hawaii.
"I personally admire him and wanted to give whatever help I could," Dods said.
Dods was specifically impressed that Amemiya and his wife Bonny were willing to put their own money on the line to cover any losses the new Division II football tournament may incur.
Now, the Amemiyas don't have as much to worry about concerning possible financial losses.
"To have a sponsor of the caliber of First Hawaiian Bank step forward is a dream come true for Hawaii high school sports," Amemiya said. "This dramatically increases the chance that the new format will be financially viable."
The Amemiyas still plan on making good on their offer of paying $20,000 to cover travel expenses for the two-tiered softball and girls basketball tournaments. The payment is to ensure against gender equity concerns that may crop up if the Amemiyas pay out of their own pocket for possible football losses.
"I was a little nervous at first back when Keith explained our financial commitment to me," Bonny Amemiya said, "but I became assured and committed through his confidence in the success of the tournament. And I have a lot confidence in my husband.
"Still, when First Hawaiian Bank stepped in, I was elated. Walter Dods is my hero."
The bank also sponsored the doubleheader featuring national powers Saint Louis, Kahuku, De La Salle and Long Beach Poly last year and will continue to sponsor the state high school canoe paddling championships each year.
The three-weekend state football tournaments culminate with the Division I and Division II championship games on Dec. 5 at Aloha Stadium.
The Division II tournament is being held on a one-year trial basis and will need HHSAA executive board approval to continue.
"If (the two-division tournament is) successful, we'll continue on, but if the public doesn't like it, we'll rethink it," Dods said. "We think it's a wonderful thing for Hawaii that a smaller school has the opportunity to win a Division II championship.
"We hope it (First Hawaiian Bank's sponsorship and the two-division tournament) continues on way beyond a year."
