The NCAA News - News & Features

Haka Bowl misses deadline; loses certification

The Haka Bowl was scheduled to feature the third-place teams from the Pacific-10 and the Western Athletic Conferences. The game was to have been played December 27 in Auckland, New Zealand (December 26 in the United States).

"The committee is disappointed that the Haka Bowl could not meet the deadline," said committee chair David T. Braine, director of athletics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. "The game would have been an exceptional cultural experience for the two teams involved. It would have been a positive addition for the Western conferences. We hope that the Haka Bowl will seek certification this spring for the 1997 season."

The NCAA certifies bowl games to ensure that they comply with NCAA rules and provide sound organization and financial management. Part of the requirements for new bowl games includes providing an irrevocable letter of credit guaranteeing the minimum revenues for participating teams, plus an additional amount to cover game expenses. That requirement minimizes the financial risk to the universities involved in traveling to a bowl game.

Ordinarily, the letter of credit is required at the time the bowl is certified at the Special Events Committee's spring meeting. Given the unusual nature of this event and the benefit of an additional bowl for Western teams, the Haka Bowl was granted an October 15 deadline instead.