UH Mānoa Athletics Facility Finds New Life

Thanks to a generous $5 million gift from the Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation and a public-private partnership that included support from the state and university, the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the lower campus of UH Mānoa has moved from a dream to a reality.

On July 17, 2012, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the beginning of the transformation of UH Mānoa’s only on-campus, all-purpose track and field, football, soccer and recreational facility into a dynamic center for student activity. Dignitaries including Governor Neil Abercrombie and UH Mānoa Chancellor Tom Apple were on hand for the official blessing and ʻoʻo ceremony.

The Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex includes a three-story building on the mauka side of the existing Clarence T.C. Ching Field. The facility will support a wide variety of activities and events, and provides grandstand seating for approximately 2,500 fans.

The interior of the building features offices, locker rooms and a meeting room for women's soccer, cross country, track and field, and beach volleyball. The complex also has a beach volleyball venue with 800 seats and two competition courts. In addition, lofted space for future facilities, such as concessions, a ticket office and broadcast booths, will be included. The entire complex seats approximately 4,100.

The Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex is a LEED Gold Certified Building. It opened in 2014.

Clarence T.C. Ching, born on Kauaʻi in 1912, was a real estate developer, banker, affordable housing pioneer and philanthropist. The 1932 Saint Louis School alumnus became well known for developing the areas around Honolulu Airport, Salt Lake, Moanalua, Fort Shafter and Tripler Medical Center. He built Kukui Gardens, one of the largest affordable rental projects in the state, and actively served on a number of boards, school and community organizations.

The culmination of Clarence Ching's dedication to Hawaiʻi and charitable generosity occurred in 1967, with the founding of the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation.

"Clarence T. C. Ching was an athlete, a boxing champion of Saint Louis School, he loved academics. He was president of his class. He loved the University of Hawaiʻi. He just embodies what the University of Hawaiʻi student should be," concluded Jack K. Tsui, chairman of the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation.