UH Manoa Athletics dedicates Clarence T.C. Ching Field

Field is officially open for use

HONOLULU — University of Hawaiʻi officials along with state legislators and representatives from the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation were in attendance Monday morning for the dedication of the Clarence T.C. Ching Field on the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa campus.

UH Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw and Athletics Director Jim Donovan joined House Speaker Calvin Say and T.C. Ching Foundation Chairman Jack Tsui for the untying of the maile lei in the traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony.

The multi-purpose facility will be used by various athletics teams as well as intramurals, ROTC, and the UH Manoa band, and will continue to host other non-UH events including Special Olympics.

The $1.2 million turf replacement project is the first phase of the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, which upon completion will include a 5,000-seat stadium with locker rooms and coaches offices. The new artificial surface, installed by Sports Turf Hawaiʻi, displays the "H" logo at midfield and the word "Hawaiʻi" emblazoned in both endzones.

"It‘s great to have the Clarence T. C. Ching Field completed," Donovan said. "This will help all of our sports programs, especially football. Other UH programs will also benefit like the band, kinesiology and leisure science, intramurals and ROTC. I appreciate all of the parties who helped make this possible."

"Today we move closer to the creation of the Ching Athletics Complex - a multi-purpose center of student activity for athletics, physical education, recreation, band, cheerleading, and a facility to host community-wide events," said Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw.

With a $5 million donation from the Ching Foundation, the former Cooke Field was renamed the Clarence T.C. Ching Field last May. Cooke Field, which hosted UH Manoa‘s first on-campus track meet in 1916 and moved once more on UH Manoa‘s mauka campus, permanently relocated to the makai campus in 1960. The grass football and soccer practice fields, adjacent to the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, will continue to carry the name Cooke Field.

Ching Field, which has not been used for football practice since 2003, will host the Warrior football team‘s opening of spring practice on March 30.