Univ. of Hawaii football is seeing a "lack of takers for seats in the designated student section" and "few recent graduates in the stands," according to Ferd Lewis of the HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER. UH AD David Matlin said, "We don’t have all the numbers, but we know anecdotally that’s true." Attendance numbers -- and "initiatives to improve them -- are part of the discussion as Aloha Stadium and UH attempt to wrap up contract negotiations" for the '17 season. Matlin: "Wi-Fi is an issue and the events within the event are issues to be addressed. This is an area where we need to do some more research so that we can make it a more enticing environment for (millennials)." The talks come as officials said that an "incentive-based proposal that would reward UH for hitting designated turnstile benchmarks is on the table for negotiation." As UH "brings in more customers and the stadium earns more revenue from concession, parking, etc., UH would stand to share in the benefits." UH currently "pays no rent but is charged approximately $90,000-$100,000 per game for operational expenses." UH also is "able to purchase some parking for resale and place some advertising in the facility." UH's average attendance has dropped from 34,74" in '10, the football team's last winning season, to an "historic low" of 16,082 in '15. The drop has been "reflected in the value of food and beverage contracts the stadium has been able to negotiate with the concessionaire," dropping from 48.5% to 34.1%. While last year’s attendance in the "first non-losing season in six years showed a gain of 3,216 per game, lagging season-ticket sales" -- 14,462 in '16 vs. 15,238 in '15 -- "tempered the overall rebound." Matlin said that the season-ticket renewals right now are running at 92% of last year (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 7/30).
