Georgia Tech to play its first ever international college football game in Ireland in 2016
The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, has announced that Georgia Tech will play its first ever international football game in Ireland in 2016. The Aer Lingus Classic will see the Yellow Jackets take on Boston College at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on September 3, 2016. It will be Georgia Tech’s first ever college football game outside the US.
“It’s great to open the 2016 season in Ireland. This is a historic day for Georgia Tech Football as we will play our first-ever international football game,” Georgia Tech Athletic Director Mike Bobinski said. “This is an amazing opportunity to bring college football back to Ireland and to give our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and fans a truly global experience.”
The 2016 game will mark the ninth college football game held in Ireland and the seventh featuring FBS schools. It will be the second college game played at Aviva Stadium.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY IN IRELAND
1988* Boston College 38, Army 24 Dublin, Ireland (Lansdowne Road)
1989* Pittsburgh 46, Rutgers 29 Dublin, Ireland (Lansdowne Road)
1991 Holy Cross 24, Fordham 19 Limerick, Ireland (Gaelic Grounds)
1992 Bowdoin 7, Tufts 6 Galway, Ireland (Pearse Stadium)
1996* Notre Dame 54, Navy 27 Dublin, Ireland (Croke Park)
2012 John Carroll 40, St. Norbert 3 Dublin, Ireland (Donnybrook Stadium)
2012* Notre Dame 50, Navy 10 Dublin, Ireland (Aviva Stadium)
2014* Penn State 26, UCF 24 Dublin, Ireland (Croke Park)
*FBS game
It will mark the first international game for the historic Yellow Jackets football program. It will be Tech head coach Paul Johnson’s second football game in Ireland; he was Navy’s offensive coordinator when the Midshipmen played Notre Dame in 1996.
“I’m excited for our guys to have the opportunity to experience playing in Ireland,” Johnson said. “Our players really enjoyed it at Navy when we played in Dublin in 1996. It’ll be something they remember for the rest of their lives.”
Anthony Travel is providing official Georgia Tech travel options which include access to exclusive premium game tickets for the 2016 game. For more information on travel packages, visit GT2Ireland.com or call 877-260-0645.
The Consul General of Ireland in Atlanta, Paul Gleeson, said: “We are thrilled that Georgia Tech, a truly world class university, will be bringing its Yellow Jackets football team to Dublin for its season opener in 2016. We can promise the Ramblin’ Wreck fanbase an outstanding experience in Ireland, which welcomes over 1 million visitors from North America each year with our unique blend of beautiful scenery, rich culture and famous hospitality. Ireland has hosted games between Notre Dame and Navy (in 2012) and between UCF and Penn State (2014) in recent years and we are fast falling in love with these spectacular college football events. I know many Tech alumni in the city of Atlanta and all over the world will be looking forward to the trip of a lifetime to Dublin in September 2016.”