Two major American College Football teams, Florida and Georgia, will face off in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin this Saturday, August 24th.
It is the third year that the Aer Lingus College Football Classic has brought the match to Dublin, which will see Georgia Tech and Florida State University go head-to-head in the Dublin 4 stadium this weekend.
Thousands of Americans are set to visit the capital for the game, and the event is gaining a mixed reception from locals. Some will make their way down to the Aviva to participate in the affiliated events nearby and across the city, while others are firmly against holding American Football games in the stadium when regularly played games in Ireland don’t receive the same treatment.
Plenty of Dubliners were completely unaware that the event was happening, as the annual game is set to kick off in just over 24 hours in the city’s central soccer and rugby stadium.
The game between Georgia Tech and Florida State will kick off at 5 pm on Saturday, August 24, in the Aviva Stadium.
A number of surrounding streets will be closed and diverted from 2 pm on August 24. Drivers are urged to avoid Bath Avenue, Londonbridge Avenue, part of Landsdowne Road, and Landsdowne Park while the event takes place.
A further number of streets will then close from 4 pm, with diversions on Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge Avenue, Beatty’s Avenue, Herbert Road, Newbridge Avenue and all of Landsdowne Road.
Earlier in the day, the College Green area of the city will be a celebratory location during the pre-game programme College Gameplay on ESPN, which broadcasts live from 2 pm to 5 pm.
As a result, Dame Street in Dublin 2 will close to vehicular traffic from 8 pm this evening, Friday, August 23, and will not reopen until Sunday, August 25, at 6 am. Bus services will continue to run on the Quays and along Westmoreland Street, with the Luas Green Line continuing operations throughout the restricted areas.
‘Any temporary relocation of bus stops from Dame Street to other locations will be publicised via the National Transport Authority website. The Taxi Ranks from Foster Place and College Green will be moved temporarily to D’Olier Street,’ said Dublin City Council.
The event in College Green is non-ticketed and open to the public.
The Aer Lingus College Football Classic director and co-founder, Padraic O’Kane, has estimated that about 25,000 Americans will travel to Dublin specifically for the occasion and that 47,500 people will attend the sold-out game.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland, O’Kane said that college football is a ‘multi-billion dollar game’, with an estimated four million people set to watch the game from all over the world on Saturday.
‘It’s not just the 25,000 people that are in town with a huge economic benefit in Ireland – we’re also on mainstream TV for nine hours in the United States on Saturday, and that can’t be bad for Ireland,’ he said.
According to O’Kane, the organisers hope to make the game an annual occasion in Ireland in the future.
‘The sport of American football is hugely growing here, both in participation and viewing,’ O’Kane said.
