The Garden Island has reported that Friday night football may return to the KIF.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz is seeking a compromise of sorts that would permit football at Vidinha Stadium in Lihue. Currently, night football and the stadium lights are banned due to the dangers to an endangered species, the Newell’s Shearwater bird.
Since 2010, KIF football games have been played at the facility on Saturday afternoons. The decrease in gate revenue is estimated to be anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 per year. That doesn’t include concession-stand funds.
“As far as the ADs, we haven’t really discussed it. It would be great if we could bring it back on Friday nights, even Saturday nights,” Kauai interim athletic director Dino Pabre said.
The Newell’s Shearwater fledgling season is from September to December, and often enough the young birds making their first flights get confused by those bright lights.
On the south and west side of the island, Pabre said, all night-time lights at fields and courts are banned during the fledgling season.
“It goes beyond football,” he said.
The fine for not abiding by the Federal law is well into five figures.
Wow, that’s ALOT of money being loss