The state has rejected the first offer from the NFL that would guarantee that two of the next four Pro Bowls, starting in 2011, would be played in Hawai'i.

Citing uncertainty about exactly when the game will be played in Aloha Stadium, the board of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority voted late last week to reject the NFL's offer and negotiations won't begin again until late February, further clouding the future of the NFL All-Star game that has been played in Honolulu since 1980.

NFL officials had hoped to announce before the Feb. 8 game when exactly the game would return to Honolulu. The 2010 game will be played in the open weekend between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl in Miami's Joe Robbie Stadium.

Frank Supovitz, NFL Senior Vice President for Events in charge of the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, said the league is negotiating a multi-year deal that includes "some amount" of flexibility that would enable the league to conduct the Pro Bowl in Hawai'i regularly but not necessarily annually.

"We hoped to have the HTA's approval by game day but unfortunately they did not approve the deal," Supovitz said. "They would like more certainty as to when the games would be played. I'm hopeful we can reach a deal but that will be up to the HTA board. It's our desire to play future Pro Bowls in Hawai'i."

Supovitz, who will fly to Honolulu direct from Tampa following Sunday's Super Bowl, hopes to meet with state officials during the week before the Pro Bowl.

Lloyd Unebasami, HTA's interim president and chief executive officer, said HTA could not agree to the NFL's first offer because the uncertainty about when the games would be played would hurt the logistics of preparing for the game arrival. Not knowing what years the Pro Bowl would be played at Aloha Stadium makes it tough to coordinate with the hotels and other travel agencies that have to accommodate for the average influx of more than 25,000 visitors.

"It could be the first (year after 2010), it could be the third and the fourth, and our board felt that we should go back to re-negotiate and see if we could get something with a little more certainty," Unebasami said. "The proposal that was put on the table ... we could not accept."

Under the current contract, the NFL receives a $4.5 million annual subsidy from HTA.

The game attracts about 25,000 visitors, of which approximately 20,000 come specifically for the Pro Bowl, according to the state.

Visitors spend an average of about $28 million and of that amount, about $2.5 million goes back to the state in excise, hotel and car-rental taxes.

In addition, NFL Charities donates $100,000 annually to local youth programs.

Kelvin Bloom, chairman of the HTA board, said last week's vote did not reject any offer but instead meant the board supports continued negotiations with the NFL.

Bloom said the board wants to make sure the next two Pro Bowls after 2010 are played in Hawai'i and that Hawai'i has no "dark years."

"The board desires the Pro Bowl's return sooner than later but must ensure the next two Pro Bowl games played after the 2010 game are indeed played in Hawai'i," said Bloom, by phone from New York. "We've enjoyed a very amicable and productive negotiations with the NFL and we're confident of a mutually satisfactory result for both parties The bottom line is we want the Pro Bowl back in Hawai'i."