By: Annaliese Gumboc
A woman drops her hot pink jacket onto the turf. Wearing ripped jorts and a highlighter-green tank top, she faces a towering offensive lineman. The UH lineman holds up a blocking pad—the kind used for training—and she charges at him, smiling.
Under the night sky, stadium lights illuminate UH Mānoa’s T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Giant letters spelling “Sistahhood” stand by the Hawaiʻi logo at centerfield. Music blares from speakers, while an emcee banters with attendees, coaches and players. In line with the night’s theme—Ladies of the ‘80s—women dress in vibrant throwback clothing.
Hosted last Saturday night, this is the third annual Sistahhood Social—a festive event for female fans of UH football. Around 250 women are in attendance, not counting female volunteers and other staff. Altogether, about 300 people are present.
Vendors sell food, drinks and merchandise on the sidelines, where guests of all ages mingle.
On the turf, women run drills with ‘Bows players and coaches. They placekick, tackle practice dummies, toss footballs, and learn how to stand at the line of scrimmage. Many chat and pose for pictures with the Rainbow Warriors.
Perhaps the most popular person on the field is Sherry Chang, wife of UH head coach Timmy Chang. Chang spearheaded the Sistahhood Social in 2022 after her husband took leadership of the Warriors. As her third event winds down, she’s still posing for photos in a sporty neon outfit.
“[Tonight] was a ten. It was amazing,” she said. “The turnout, the community, the players, the coaches—everybody was just amazing in this.”
Unlike most UH football events, the Sistahhood Social targets a female audience, providing a fun opportunity for women to personally engage with the Rainbow Warriors.
“We want to get connected with the women fans. We want them to know about football, feel comfortable coming to watch the games and get to know us on a personal level,” said Chang.
The Social fosters the female ‘Bows community by connecting pre-existing fans and introducing new ones to the sport.
“We’re actually not big football fans, until today,” said one attendee, who came with a fellow UH graduate. “So we might start coming out to watch football games.”
She commented that the tackle practice was her favorite activity of the night. “To be able to be on the field and try it ourselves, it’s an eye opener,” she said.
The activities at Sistahhood Social engage and educate fans. However, they serve a third purpose: Fundraising for UH football.
“We started off with chalk talk session with our coaches. We did facility tours of the locker room, the weight room. They got to come out here and do on-field drills. We had tons of vendors this year. We did a lot of exclusive branded collabs, we had merchandise, we had silent auction, we had the giving tree, we had the wine pull…so many things going here, tonight,” said Chang. “It was amazing.”
The proceeds from the Social go toward providing meals for the Rainbow Warriors. When the Changs first arrived, UH offered athletes just one meal a day, and only during the school year, according to Sherry. Creating a fundraiser to address this deficit became her first project as the head coach’s wife.
“I just thought, this is the perfect opportunity for me to get involved, get the women in our community involved, and then on top of that, do it for a good cause,” she said last year. “It’s kind of like my first baby, and I’m so proud of it.”
In its first year, the Social raised around $75,000. In its second, it raised nearly $100,000. Five days after the third Social, a final tally has yet to be announced—but Chang states they’ve counted around $90,000 already.
Because it is the first women’s clinic to serve as a fundraiser for UH football, these numbers are important for the Sistahhood Social and the ‘Bows. They demonstrate the interest of women in the community, paving the way for further women-oriented endeavors. In only three years, Sherry has proved the potential of the female audience.
“For sure, the support has grown,” said Chang. “We’ve gotten comments from these ladies that…they didn’t really follow UH football, and now they’re season ticket holders, so that’s huge for us.”
While no specific plans have been revealed, Chang is optimistic about the future of the Sistahhood Social. “We always want to make it bigger and better, so hopefully next year it just continues to grow…and everyone continues to support.”
