HONOLULU — The NFL said Wednesday its decision to move the Pro Bowl to Orlando, Florida, for the next three seasons is unrelated to funding, Aloha Stadium or Hawaii’s ability to host the game.
Peter O’Reilly, the league’s senior vice president of events, made the statement in a news release provided by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
George Szigeti, the tourism authority’s CEO, said the agency will use the $5 million it would have paid for the game to support sport competitions and other programs. Some of the money will go to preserve Hawaiian culture and the environment, sponsor community festivals and events and bolster tourism marketing.
The Pro Bowl had been played in Hawaii since 1979, with the exception of two years.
O’Reilley said the league would keep paying for youth programs in Hawaii and continue a partnership with the state. “It really wasn’t anything Hawaii didn’t do, it was what Orlando can do and what Orlando has the ability to do in terms of family, entertainment and youth football,” O’Reilly said in Orlando.
The game will be held at Camping World Stadium, which recently underwent $200 million in renovations in hopes of attracting the NFL.
In Honolulu, the game was played at Aloha Stadium. The Hawaii venue suffered bad publicity in December when the U.S. women’s soccer team abruptly canceled an exhibition game there after players complained of poor field conditions. Stadium officials countered that the turf is only four years old, still under warranty and hasn’t had any issues.
The tourism authority long valued the Pro Bowl, which is played during the winter, for the national television exposure it gave Hawaii when many football fans watching on the mainland were coping with cold weather.
The television broadcast of the 2014 Pro Bowl gave Hawaii exposure worth $26.2 million, the agency has estimated. The game also brought 15,000 visitors to the islands.