Navy and Notre Dame helmets on display with the Keough-Naughton College Football Ireland trophy at the October 2018 announcement of the 2020 game. INPHO/BILLY STICKLAND
The American football game between Notre Dame and Navy due to be played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Aug. 29 will now be played in the U.S. The game had been in doubt since the Government announced a ban in April on all gatherings in excess of 5,000 people until September. However, organizers said in April that the fixture did not require a license, so would therefore not be covered by that regulation. Uncertainty over the varsity clash came to an end last week with a statement saying following extensive consultation with the Irish government, medical authorities and the leadership teams at Navy and Notre Dame, the Aer Lingus Classic football game would not be played in Dublin.
“It is the intention of both Navy and Notre Dame to open the 2020 college football season with the 94th consecutive playing of the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in the country at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, USA,’’ the organizers said.
Over 39,000, U.S. visitors had booked to travel for the college football season opener, which would have made it the largest number of Americans to travel outside of the United States for a single sporting event. In addition to the large number that planned to travel, the game was due to be televised coast-to-coast in the U.S. by ESPN to an estimated six million viewers.
— Sean Creedon
