Dear UH Athletics 'Ohana,
It is with the deepest gratitude that I say mahalo nui loa to all of you for the warm welcome and spirit of aloha that you have shared with Allison, Kai and me during the first three weeks as Athletics Director of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. The strength and resilience of the Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine are apparent everywhere on campus and across our state. To the flight attendants on Hawaiian Airlines, the high school coach in the Alakea Street building elevator, the family in Kapiolani Park, the staff in the UH student center, and so many more, we hear you. Your pride in UH Athletics is immeasurable and your desire to support our student-athletes and teams is unmatched. We have a duty to elevate the program to meet the new standards in the current era of college athletics, and we will.
Since arriving on campus, it is clear to me that UH Athletics is primed to build on our esteemed history and create a new legacy. As we excitedly await moments like when our football team runs onto the field at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex on August 23
rd in front of an electric crowd of 15,000, the preparation for that moment is ongoing and intense.
Student-athletes are here every day, often before 6am, honing their craft and striving to get better. Coaches, athletic performance, sports medicine, communications personnel, and others are on the field, in the weight room and behind the scenes to support their growth. At the same time, basketball and volleyball students are grinding, putting up shots, perfecting serves, and getting ready. Countless other students are also training, competing and striving for excellence all around the planet. The life of a student-athlete, coach, and staff member is to constantly prepare and improve to best represent UH. Collectively, they are OUR TEAM. HAWAI'I'S TEAM.
At the forefront of the department's preparation is the development of the new model for revenue sharing and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). July 1, 2025 marked a historic day for college athletics as it ushered in a new reality resulting from the
House v. NCAA settlement. In simple terms, the settlement did two primary things. First, it created a fund to provide back-pay to student-athletes that participated in college sports, including UH alumni, from 2016-2024. The NCAA will administer that process and use funds generated by all schools over the next 10 years.
The second outcome of the settlement has a direct and immediate impact on us. We have a new system to manage the relationship between schools and student-athletes with four key elements:
- Universities may provide direct payments to student-athletes based on the revenue that they create;
- Every team has an NCAA-regulated roster limit;
- Institutions may increase scholarships; and
- Student-athletes can still sign outside NIL deals with businesses, non-profits, or collectives.
We are actively building a model that combines revenue sharing, roster limits, and scholarship allotments that will be consistent with our vision for excellence. This work requires benchmarking our program against our peers, appraising current student-athlete benefits, assessing the availability of resources now and in the future, and understanding the needs of our coaches to recruit and retain elite student-athletes. The model will be consistent with the values of the University while recognizing the contributions that our student-athletes make to the programs and the entire community.
Our goal is to be the premier athletics program in the Mountain West and Big West conferences and we invite everyone to play a role in our success. Supporting UH Athletics and the student-athletes can take so many different forms. Whether you and your family attend a game, buy a ticket, make a donation, wear a UH hat, watch the games on TV, or engage a student-athlete for an NIL appearance, every step matters. Future updates will include clear explanations about how your support will impact our teams' successes and details about NIL parameters.
In this moment, if you're ready to engage, here are two options that will make an immediate impact on our program:
- Buy Tickets and Plan to Attend Games This Fall:
- Donate to the UH Athletic Fund for Excellence:
- Donation Link
- Donations to this fund are tax deductible and support the operations of the department for all 21 teams and 450 student-athletes
The reality of college athletics is that the model will continue to evolve. What will not change is that incredible human beings will have the opportunity to earn college degrees at our world-class institution, the University of Hawai'i, while pursuing their athletic dreams. A big part of our mission is to develop our student-athletes to become the next leaders of society. Many have and will continue to do that right here in Hawai'i. This pipeline will brighten the future for all of us and generations to come. Along the way, we will come together as a community, experience the joy of sports, and watch UH teams inspire us all. Mahalo for being a part of Hawai'i's team.
Aloha and Go 'Bows!
Matt Elliott
Director of Athletics
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
