UH considering refunds for Friday football game

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai'i officials have yet to decide whether refunds will be offered to fans who cannot attend a football game that will be moved to a Friday afternoon.

The athletic department has received several complaints since UH, under pressure from Western Athletic Conference officials, grudgingly agreed to move its home game against Fresno State from Saturday night, Oct. 27, to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26.

ESPN requested the move to include the game on its new Friday night college football series.

UH did not issue refunds when a home game against Arizona was moved to a Thursday afternoon to accommodate ESPN in 1998, UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida said.

But because of the large number of complaints this time, Yoshida said, "We'll be discussing that issue. We haven't crossed that bridge yet."

Any refund would not come directly from the WAC, although league officials have offered to pay an undetermined fee to compensate UH for the move. UH officials estimate the switch could result in as much as $250,000 in lost ticket sales.

As of Tuesday, UH had sold 23,430 season tickets for football, UH associate athletic director Jim Donovan said.

Meanwhile, Yoshida has vowed not to move any more football games to Friday this season. UH's game against Air Force, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 24, is one of two games ESPN would like to televise on Friday, Nov. 23.

Although that Friday is on the day after Thanksgiving, when students and many workers are off, Yoshida said, "I don't want (the game) on a Friday. One Friday game, at this juncture, is enough. The rest should be on Saturday."

Yoshida said there are several UH and high school events already scheduled for Nov. 23.