The National Football League is "serious" about exploring opportunities to hold the Pro Bowl away from Hawai'i for the first time in 30 years, possibly moving it closer to a site of a future Super Bowl as soon as 2009, a spokesman said.

"We have enjoyed more than 25 years working with the state and city but want to explore a new model that could include moving the location of the Pro Bowl," said Brian McCarthy, head of business/community relations for the NFL.

The Pro Bowl has been played at Aloha Stadium since 1980, when the NFL moved it out of the orbit of league cities for the first time in 43 years in an attempt to save the game. Hosting the annual NFC vs. AFC all-star game, which has been a sellout for 28 consecutive years, has been worth as much as $39.45 million per year to the state, according to impact studies commissioned by the Hawai'i Tourism Authority.

According to a survey by Market Trends Pacific Research, 27,625 visitors were among the 50,410 who attended the 2007 Pro Bowl. They generated $28.03 million in visitor spending and $2.72 million in state taxes. It was the first year the game was played on a Saturday. The best year of the Pro Bowl's run here, 2005, was a Sunday and drew $39.45 million in spending and $3.83 million in taxes.

The state pays the NFL approximately $4.2 million per year under the current contract, with the league controlling concessions, parking and advertising signage.

Asked how serious the NFL is about moving the Pro Bowl out of Hawai'i, McCarthy said, "It is serious. We have explored the idea over the past couple years and will spend more time looking at it this off-season."

As recently as February, an NFL spokesman had said, "At this point, there's no plan to do that (play the game in another city). It is not something that we are pursuing at this point."

But McCarthy said new NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, "... has inspired us to explore innovative options in a variety of areas, including the Pro Bowl, to continue to grow our sport and meet our fans' appetite for the NFL. To remain America's passion, we need to innovate or we will stagnate."

Goodell addressed the Pro Bowl as part of a New York meeting with sports editors Thursday. Aides said the session was "wide-ranging," from the possibility of "someday playing the Super Bowl in an international venue" to moving the draft out of New York and going to a 17-game season with more international games.

Where that concerns the Pro Bowl, McCarthy said, "it could mean moving the date to the Sunday between the championship game and the Super Bowl. This would provide tremendous promotion for the Super Bowl and culminate the season in more dramatic fashion. The Pro Bowl could be played in Hawai'i during that week or, perhaps, be conducted elsewhere on the Mainland, including a site nearby the Super Bowl city."

The 2008 Super Bowl will be played in Glendale, Ariz., and the 2009 (Tampa) and 2010 (Miami) games will be in Florida.

BATTLE IN BEIJING?

There also has been speculation the Pro Bowl could be played in Beijing. The NFL debuts in China this summer with New England and Seattle playing in the inaugural China Bowl.

McCarthy said the NFL is "still in the exploratory phase (of moving a Pro Bowl game) but we could execute the plan as early as 2009."

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said, "Given the worldwide popularity of the NFL, this comes as no surprise. They've been hinting about this. It is expected that the NFL would be looking to further capitalize on the Pro Bowl's success. Of course, Hawai'i has contributed greatly to that success over the years and it is a favorite of the players and their families."

Hannemann, who has helped negotiate past Pro Bowl contracts when Goodell held NFL staff positions, said, "It is important that we hear from the NFL as soon as possible. The sooner we hear what they intend to do, the sooner we can plan an appropriate strategy."

Under the terms of the current three-year contract, which runs through 2009 with a mutual option for 2010, if the game is moved out of Honolulu for a year, the NFL must add an additional year in Hawai'i, McCarthy said.

Joe Browne, executive vice president for communications and public relations, said, "We and our players appreciate the support of our NFL fans in Hawai'i and look forward to returning to Honolulu at least several more years."

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.