American Football:The 2012 edition of American Football's annual fixture between Navy and Notre-Dame will take place at the Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Road. The longest continuous intersectional rivalry in college football has been running since 1927 and will be staged in Ireland for the second time on September 1st, two years from now.
The teams met in Croke Park in 1996, when Notre Dame won 54-27, and are due to face eachother this year, on October 2nd, in the New Meadowlands Stadium, New Jersey.
The home of the New York Giants and New York Jets holds 82,500 fans compared to the Dublin 4 venue’s 50,000 but Naval Academy director of athletics Chet Gladchuk is confident of a big event.
“To see this stadium is to believe it has to be one of the finest venues in the world,” said Gladchuk. “Although modest in capacity, few stadiums anywhere have attended to the detail, aesthetics and fan comfort found at Aviva.
“I guarantee those who travel to Ireland and attend this event will enjoy an experience that will be awesome and a memory not to be forgotten. Navy is very much looking forward to our visit and the wonderful experience we expect our coaches, players, fans and friends will enjoy.”
Aviva Stadium director Martin Murphy is “delighted” the stadium has been chosen to host the game, some 16 months after it hosts the Europa League final in May next year.
“We fully realise just how important this game is in the US sporting calendar and we are looking forward to hosting what will undoubtedly be a fantastic event," he said. “The selection of Aviva Stadium for this game is a huge endorsement of the stadium and it is a terrific boost for Irish tourism as I have no doubt the teams’ fans will travel in great numbers. We are confident they will have a memorable time in Ireland.”