Pearl City High School's new football coach, Kai Kamaka, and his 11 assistants have yet to win a single game, but they've already scored a big victory for the Chargers' program.

Kamaka and his staff have agreed to donate their entire 2009 stipends — a total of about $15,000 — to the school's athletic department to help pay for football equipment and uniforms.

The donation will come at a time when Pearl City, along with every other Hawai'i public high school, faces massive cuts to the athletic budget.

"When we got in there and looked at the equipment situation, what we saw was pretty bad," Kamaka said. "All of the equipment needs refurbishing, the practice jerseys were every single color you could imagine ... We met as a staff and decided that we would throw the money from our (stipend) checks into a pot and donate it to the program. We said that none of us are here for the money, anyway, and we want to do something to boost the community."

That means coaching for free.

But Kamaka, 36, has been doing just that for the past four years in Pearl City's Highland and Chargers youth football programs.

The familiarity with the community and players has made for a smooth transition so far.

"A lot of these kids played for me, and that's one of the reasons I applied," said Kamaka, a former Advertiser All-State return specialist for Waipahu. "I'm tight with them, and I also know some of them through wrestling and boxing."

Kamaka manages 808 Fight Factory, a mixed martial arts school in Waipahu.

Perhaps the school's most famous member, MMA star Falaniko Vitale, has joined Kamaka's staff at Pearl City along with another former Waipahu football standout, Lefa Lauti, and former Saint Louis and University of Hawai'i defensive back Al Hunter.

"Some might not think of Pearl City kids as being tough, but I think we're going to shock a lot of people," Kamaka said. "People will be surprised at the end product."

Kamaka said the change begins with attitude, and part of that is giving the players a quality atmosphere.

"We painted the locker room purple and white, we want them walking in there with new pride, new integrity," Kamaka said. "We want to give the program a whole new look, whole new scenery. And the response has been good. The kids have new energy, they're excited about the change."

Some of that change requires money, and under the Department of Education's 2009-2010 budget all athletic programs will take a 50 percent cut in support for transportation and equipment/supplies.

Pearl City athletic director Reid Shigemasa said that will set his program back about $20,000.

"Just to recondition the football equipment costs between $4,500 (for helmets only) and $7,000 (helmets and pads)," Shigemasa said. "Every OIA school is trying to figure out how to retain (equipment money)."

Shigemasa said Kamaka and his staff volunteered to donate their stipends, without being asked.

"All of this came from them," Shigemasa said.