Posted on: Wednesday, August 15, 2001
Mainland group plans to put bowl in Hawai'i
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer
A Mainland group that was unsuccessful in buying the Aloha Bowl and returning it to Honolulu, said it plans to start a new bowl here.
Ken Hoffman, executive director of the Motor City Bowl, said his group, Global Events Management (GEM), will apply to the NCAA for certification this fall with the hope of playing the first game in 2002 or 2003.
"Our intention is to apply for certification for a new game as soon as possible," Hoffman said.
The NCAA Football Certification Subcommittee's next meeting is Sept. 11 in Philadelphia. It has capped the number of bowls at 26 through 2002. There are 25 bowls certified for the 2001 season.
Hoffman said he has had some preliminary discussions toward landing a television partner and would keep the game on Christmas Day.
"Hawai'i has shown in the past and can, in the future, I'm confident, support a bowl game on that day," Hoffman said.
GEM's attempts to buy the Aloha Bowl from Aloha Sports Inc. fell through Friday. "They've decided to continue to pursue (the game) for another location this year and we wish them well," Hoffman said.
Aloha Sports Inc., which bought the O'ahu and Aloha bowls last year, has relocated the former O'ahu Bowl to Seattle and has attempted to move the Aloha Bowl out of Aloha Stadium, where it operated for 18 years. Officials have not been available for comment.
But people in the bowl industry say Aloha Sports Inc. will take another shot at trying to place the game in San Francisco, this time on a date other than Dec. 25. A previous attempt to locate the game at Pac Bell Park fell through when the game's television partner, ABC, insisted on a Christmas Day game.
Since then Aloha Sports Inc. has also tried unsuccessfully to place the game in Edison International Field in Anaheim, Calif., and Brice-Williams Stadium in Columbia, S.C., on Christmas Day, and has lost its commitment from the Pac-10 to send a team.
The NCAA has given Aloha Sports Inc. until the Sept. 11 certification subcommittee meeting to secure a site.
