About

About Nā Koa

Nā Koa Football Club was founded in 1987 by then Head Coach Bob Wagner, Alec Waterhouse (1912-1999), Ed Wong (1929-2008), and Ben Yee (1931-2020). The founding members’ dedication to improving the safety and well being of the players provides the strong foundation and guiding principles of today’s Na Koa

Mission Statement

Nā Koa Football Club’s mission is to support athletic excellence and academic achievement for Rainbow Warrior Football.

Goals & Needs

Nā Koa is the official booster club of the Rainbow Warrior Football Program and provides support for many of the needs not covered by the program's UH Athletic Department budget. The proceeds of your membership dues, monies raised through Nā Koa events, and donations provide for many critical needs of the team helping them to realize success in the academic arena and on the field of play.

Summer School and the Warrior Bridge Program are two of the largest expenses that Nā Koa funds. In previous years, 70-80 student-athletes have participated in one or both sessions of summer school providing specific benefits. First, they are able to obtain and maintain eligibility so that they can participate in practices and games. Second, they are able to take many of the time-intensive, lab-type courses that are difficult to enroll in during the regular sessions (fall and spring semesters) when they are frequently on travel for road games or involved in team meetings and off-season preparation. Finally, summer school is integral in helping to ensure the on-time or early graduation of the players. Graduating student-athletes continues to be a top priority.

The Warrior Bridge Program provides the opportunity for incoming freshmen and transfer students to take classes prior to the start of the fall semester, familiarize themselves with the campus and the workout/practice routine, and ensure they are eligible to play when the season starts. In-coming student-athletes are able to enroll for the second summer session to get a jump on the upcoming semester and are at least six credits ahead of the game when the new school year begins. The approximate cost for summer school and the Warrior Bridge Program is $460,000 (tuition, fees, books, room and board).

The second largest expense that Nā Koa funds is the Cost of Attendance (COA) allowance permitted by the NCAA starting with the 2015-16 academic year. Schools are now able to provide additional support to student-athletes to help with travel costs and other attendance-related expenses. Thanks to the support of Nā Koa members and the community, Nā Koa has been able to fully fund COA for our team. Initially, each scholarship athlete was given $1,000. The annual commitment for this expense is expected to increase yearly as the budget and NCAA allow.

Nā Koa also provides funding for state-of-the-art video equipment and software. This package allows coaches and players to better breakdown and analyze game film, using it as a tool to improve performance on the field. For example, a coach can send a player a video clip, the play as it was presented in the play book, and notes on what was done well or what needs improvement. The player can then review this mini-tutorial through a web-portal whenever and wherever he is and as many times as needed using a computer station, laptop, tablet, or mobile device. This flexibility provides for even greater interaction between player and coaches.

There are a number of other costs that Nā Koa funds support. For example, the grass practice field on the UH Mānoa campus is maintained through the gathering of resources from across the community. Finally, additional support is provided for player recruitment; student-athlete needs like knee braces, nutritional supplements, and additional equipment, outreach activities on the Neighbor Islands, staff development; and much, much more.

The needs of the Rainbow Warrior Football team are many and your support of Nā Koa is critical to the success of the team. Join today and show your support of the players and coaches

More about Nā Koa, `Ahahui Koa Ānuenue, and the University of Hawai‘i Foundation:

The following describes the institutional relationships between the University of Hawai‘i Foundation, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa athletics programs, `Ahahui Koa Ānuenue and the Nā Koa Football Club, and how contributions to Nā Koa Football Club are received, accounted for, and managed:

The University of Hawai‘i Foundation (UHF) is a tax exempt charitable organization contracted by the University Hawai‘i to be the central organization that receives and holds all of the contributions and donations that are made to ‘Ahahui Koa Ānuenue (AKA) and any of the booster clubs that support the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa athletics programs. UHF has established separate accounts for AKA and each of the booster clubs that all donor contributions and donations are deposited into.  All of the funds received by UHF on behalf of AKA and each of the booster clubs are assets of UHF and are reported by UHF in its audited financial statements and on its annual Form 990 filed with the IRS.UHF is exempt from income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and donations to UHF are tax deductible.  UHF is registered as a charitable organization with the State of Hawai‘i, Department of the Attorney General’s office. Its annual IRS Form 990’s are available for public review on UHF’s website and at the Attorney General’s Charity Resources website

‘Ahahui Koa Ānuenue (AKA) is the designated organization responsible for the coordination and oversight of all fundraising activities that are conducted to benefit and support the UH Mānoa athletics programs. This includes, but is not limited to, booster clubs,  the preferred seating and parking program, and other revenue generating activities for the benefit of the program. For more information on AKA visit https://www.koaanuenue.org/

Nā Koa Football Club is the official organization established to support the University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Warrior Football program.   All donations made to the UHF on behalf of Nā Koa Football Club go to support UH Rainbow Warrior Football.

The UH Mānoa Athletics Department uses funds, donations, and contributions received by UHF  in accordance with the donors’ intents, NCAA regulations, and UHF expenditure policies.