Home of the Rainbow Wahine
The University of Hawai‘i women’s soccer team will open its 2010 campaign on the familiar turf of the Waipi‘o Peninsula Soccer Stadium (WPSS), one of the top college soccer venues in the nation. This year marks the 11th season of Rainbow Wahine soccer at the stadium, where they have proven to be a tough team to beat.
The Rainbow Wahine have won 71 percent of its conference matches since moving into the WPSS in 2000, including 26 of its 38 matches. UH’s home dominance has helped them claim three Western Athletic Conference titles in 2003, ‘05 and ’07.
Located in West O‘ahu, the stadium boasts a seating capacity of 4,500 and is a far cry from the early days of the soccer program, spent shuttling between Kapiolani Park and Ala Wai Field, both public fields.
Along with a quality facility, the Rainbow Wahine have enjoyed an enthusiastic home crowd which has regularly been among the best in the country. Hawai‘i has ranked in the top 40 nationally in average attendance during all 10 seasons at WPSS, including three seasons in the top 10. In 2005, the program ranked ninth in the country as soccer fans came out to watch UH make its second WAC championship run. The Rainbow Wahine drew three of its top eight crowds ever in 2005 and, in its season-finale, played before a school-record 3,175 fans.
The Complex
The Waipi‘o Soccer Complex is the first and only soccer facility of its kind in the state of Hawai‘i with 21 regulation fields, including the 4,500-seat Waipi‘o Peninsula Soccer Stadium with lights for evening events. Located in West O‘ahu, just 20 minutes from downtown Honolulu, the complex covers 288 acres and is designed to serve nearly 30,000 soccer players on O‘ahu and the numerous others who travel to the island for both national and international tournaments. Aside accommodating thousands of spectators, WPSS also boasts two main locker rooms, two training rooms, concession booths and administrative offices.
The Mecca of Hawai‘i Soccer
Since opening in 2000, the complex has played host to numerous events, from the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association state soccer championships to international soccer matches featuring teams from as far as Korea and Germany. In 2004, the stadium served as the site of the Western Athletic Conference Championship, marking the first time UH has hosted the event. Seven years ago, thousands of players and fans made the facility their home for a week as the 2003 Snickers U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regionals were conducted, with champions being crowned in 16 age groups. AYSO also hosted its nationals at the site in 2008.
Practice Facility
Aside from the stadium, UH has the luxury of practicing on a top-notch soccer field. George Toma, the National Football League field guru who was hired to re-surface the Warrior football practice field, also renovated Rainbow Wahine soccer’s practice field on UH’s lower campus.