American Football touches down for big game in Dublin

THE world of American Football arrived in Dublin last week as the programme of events for the 2016 Aer Lingus College Football Classic were announced in Trinity College.

The stage is now set for Boston College to take on Georgia Tech in the Aviva Stadium this September.

The two teams will be competing to win the inaugural Keough-Naughton trophy that was designed by Waterford Crystal.

In addition to over 100 squad members per team, both colleges will be travelling with a 150-piece marching band as well as cheerleading troops.

Two cheerleaders from each of the two colleges, Jacqueline Carroll and Elizabeth Pehota, said that they are looking forward to coming back with the entire team in September.

“Absolutely. We are so excited, we cannot wait,” they said. “So far we absolutely love Ireland right now and we cannot wait to come back for longer in September.”

They were also very happy to see Ireland and meet Irish people during their brief visit to help launch the big game.

“Everyone is so friendly, nice and very welcoming,” they enthused. “Trinity College is beautiful and we are looking forward to seeing more of Dublin.”

The event is billed as ‘Much More than a Game’, with a week of events lined up to make the most of the college football experience and to show off the following that it enjoys. 

The organisers of the 2016 event announced that Trinity College will be the official Welcome Village for Gameweek, and a host of social, cultural and business orientated activities will be organised to celebrate the occasion.

The renowned pre-game pep rallies and tailgate parties will be some of the highlights to take place within the grounds of Trinity.

Game promoter, Padraic O’Kane, said that the event is gearing up to be a great family day out with something for everyone.

There will be a flyover, cheerleaders, a halftime show, and the thrilling spectacle of the teams coming out onto the pitches.

“It will be such an exciting day out for families, for business, for networking and culture,” Padraic declared.

He also said that spectators should not be put off if they don’t know the rules, or how the sport works.

 “If you don’t know the sport don’t worry,” he insisted. “We will have a commentator to tell you about the rules if a flag is thrown in for example and we will have the full rules in the programme.”

On the day before the game there will be a global business forum held in the Mansion House. It will be the first time that Warren Zola, director of Boston College CEO Club has held the event outside of the US.

It was also announced at the launch that the Chairman of the Coca Cola Company, Muhtar Kent, will be the keynote speaker on the night.

ESPN will be broadcasting the game live around the world from Dublin as it showcases Ireland on the international stage.

Tickets are on sale now and range from €35 to €110, with family tickets available from ticketmaster.com

Aaron McElroy