Honolulu, Hawaii – The University of Hawai’i will begin the 2021 football season on a premium AstroTurf® field at the freshly retrofitted T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. After Aloha Stadium announced its plans to cease fan-attended operations for the foreseeable future, UH had to act quickly to ensure the Rainbow Warriors football team would have a home playing field ready in time for the 2021 season.
Thanks to a $1.5 million-dollar donation from the Clarence T.C. Ching foundation and the work of the University of Hawai’i Foundation, the $8.5 million-dollar project is already well underway. Installation for the new AstroTurf® football field will be completed in time for their first home game in September.
UH chose a classic AstroTurf® product for Ching Field – the AstroTurf® Rhino SF 42. Manufactured using industry-leading quality controls and the company’s legendary synthetic turf technology, the Rainbow Warriors can count on a durable, highly stable playing surface. It combines multi-ply primary backing with a polyurethane secondary backing system to achieve a durable field that can stand up to heavy usage.
As part of the Ching Field upgrade, the school is also adding grandstands to the athletic complex’s stadium, which will expand the seating capacity from 3,500 to 9,000 in 2021. The plan is to continue expanding in 2022 to reach 15,000 seats, which is the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) minimum. The project includes press boxes, hospitality suits, new bathrooms, and a new scoreboard, too.
The UH football program will call Ching Field home for at least the next three years while the Aloha Stadium is rebuilt. Aloha Stadium has been the home field for the Rainbow Warriors since 1975, making 2021 the first time the team won’t be playing at Aloha in nearly half a century. City leaders in Honolulu are currently discussing plans for building a new Aloha Stadium, which will be part of a larger proposed Entertainment District project that includes retail shops, hotels, and housing.
UH, led by Head Coach Todd Graham, will play six home games during the 2021 season, with plans for seven in 2022 and 2023. After an exciting 5 – 4 season in 2020, the sky’s the limit for the Rainbow Warriors in 2021.
This will be Coach Graham’s second year with Hawai’i. Graham, a seasoned college football coach and the former Head Coach at Arizona State, became the first Hawai’i coach to win his debut game since Bob Wagner did in 1987. He also led the team to a bowl game victory at the end of last year – UH beat Houston 28 to 14 at the New Mexico Bowl on December 24th.
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Hawai’i was the Western Athletic Conference champions in 1992, 1999, 2007, and 2010.
On September 4th, the Rainbow Warriors will go up against Portland State University for their first home game on the new AstroTurf® field. UH fans can also watch them compete against San Jose, Fresno, New Mexico, San Diego, and Colorado this year at T.C. Ching Field.
About AstroTurf®
For athletes and sports enthusiasts, AstroTurf® has redefined the way the game is played. The brand offers advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport, and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies. A growing number of high schools, colleges, professional sports teams, and municipalities continue to select AstroTurf-branded products for their premium quality, technical superiority, and safety. To learn more, visit AstroTurf’s website at www.astroturf.com.