Waipio soccer closed: ‘The worst it’s ever been’

WAIPIO, Hawaii (KHON2) — City officials announced that the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex will be fully closed for the next eight weeks on Wednesday, May 1.

Officials discovered the grass quality declined after they allowed limited field usage in preparation for tournaments in summer since February, 2024.

The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation said the full closure decision was made in collaboration with local soccer leagues to prepare the fields for large tournaments that start in June. Only certain fields were open on weekends since February.

“But what’s happened is the usage on the weekends and through the other times was kind of reducing the gains that we were getting from those improvements,” DPR spokesman Nate Serota said. “And so this is kind of giving them that natural rest that they need in order to really be of higher caliber.”

KHON2 heard from longtime park users that the fact that the fields have been allowed to deteriorate so much is unacceptable.

“These were golf course-type putting green grass and to see it like this right now, it’s really sad,” said Hawaii Youth Soccer Association executive director Scott Keopuhiwa. “This is probably the worst it’s ever been that the complex has been open.”

“State Cup, the high school championship, you name it, everybody comes here,” said Major Island Soccer Organization president Sergio Bolioli, “so for any kind of closure, it affects all the clubs in Hawaii as well as many clubs in the outer islands.”

The first tournament in late June will host about 175 teams from 14 western states. Bolioli said the fields have been repaired in previous years when the same tournament came to Hawaii.

“And then once the tournament leaves, the maintenance leaves with it,” Bolioli said. “And we, for the past 20 years, we’ve been dealing with empty promises, we’ve been promised the same thing this time and I’m hoping that this time they live up to the promise.”

That promise, according to Serota, is a similar approach to what is in place at Central Oahu Regional Park in Mililani.

“Looking forward, we’re definitely looking to have a more strategic way of closing these facilities on a rotating basis so that there are still some of the fields available, but that some of them are getting that rest and leisure that they need in order to fully be rejuvenated,” Serota said.

The remainder of the Oahu League spring season was canceled due to the full closure and the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regional Championships are scheduled to kick off group play at Waipio on Friday, June 21.