Central Pacific Bank to serve as title sponsor for neighbor island leagues sports championships

HONOLULU, HI (Oct. 3, 2023) – Central Pacific Bank (CPB) is proud to announce it will serve as the first ever title sponsor for the three neighbor island leagues, including the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF), Maui Interscholastic League (MIL), and Kauai Interscholastic Federation (KIF), sports championships for the next three school years (2023-24 through 2025-26).

CPB will serve as the title sponsor for 21 sports championships that will be conducted in the fall, winter, and spring sports seasons.+  CPB will generously provide funding to help pay for the costs to perform the championships, such as game officials, security, gate personnel, trophies and medals.

“The tragedy in Maui showed us how sports can rally a community and provide a sense of normalcy during challenging times,” said CPB President and Chief Executive Officer Arnold Martines, who was born and raised on Hawaii Island and is a graduate of Honokaa High School. “High school sports are an important component of our student-athletes’ educational experience and are a healthy outlet for young people, which is why it is a privilege to provide this commitment of support for the neighbor island schools.”

“In my experience overseeing our high school athletic programs statewide for 12 years, I know how critical it is to have this type of financial support for our programs,” added former Hawaii High School Athletic Association Executive Director and current CPB Sr. VP of Community Relations Keith Amemiya. “This support will go a long way in enhancing the player and audience experience.”

“On behalf of our MIL schools, we’d like to give a big mahalo to CPB for this unprecedented support for neighbor island athletics,” said MIL Executive Director Joe Balangitao.

“As a former head coach and current principal, I know that CPB’s support will help ensure that the neighbor island leagues will have enough funds to conduct our respective championships for the next three years,” added KIF President and Kapaa High School Principal Tommy Cox.

"The BIIF sincerely appreciates this commitment to our neighbor island teams, athletes, and communities and looks forward to our partnership with CPB for the next three incredible years," said BIIF Executive Director Lyle Crozier.

The BIIF is comprised of 24 high schools, the MIL is comprised of 14 high schools, and the KIF is comprised of nine high schools.

+The only exception is KTA Superstores is the title sponsor of the BIIF Boys & Girls Basketball Championships.

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About Central Pacific Bank

Central Pacific Financial Corp. is a Hawaii-based bank holding company with approximately $7.57 billion in assets as of June 30, 2023. Central Pacific Bank, its primary subsidiary, operates 27 branches and 57 ATMs in the state of Hawaii. Central Pacific Financial Corp. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol "CPF." For additional information, please visit: cpb.bank