Aviva AmAerican Football and let’s throw this thing forward.
To today’s latest iteration of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin (7.30pm).
Between this year the powerhouses of Notre Dame and Navy.
Throwing forward is, of course, the point of American Football… that and touching down.
All of which was news to Mrs M when we were invited to a previous match by Aer Lingus during our 13 years in Ireland.
And, more used to rugby she asked, and this is the third quarter mind, if it was OK to throw the ball forward.
The Fighting Irish
Now anyone who has come across the phenomenon that is College Football will know their fans will travel anywhere to see their Alma Mater.
Notre Dame, or the Fighting Irish as they are celebrated, are the most famous name in college football.
Drawing crowds of tens of thousands snd even having their matches televised live on TV.
Noter Dam, as they’re pronounced, hail not from Irish New York or Boston as you might expect.
But north of South Bend, Indiana.
And they regularly draw 70,000 attendances.
The Fighting Irishmen wrap themselves up in the Oul’ Country with their leprechaun mascot and team song Band of the Fighting Irish.
In the Navy
And the Blue and Golds (surprisingly not green) walk the walk and talk the talk, having nailed 11 championships throughout their history.
And judging Notre Dame on how their alumni have fared in NFL.
Then there have only been five Super Bowls that did not feature at least one former Notre Dame player on either team’s roster.
And twelve former Notre Dame players, plus one non-player alumnus, have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall.
So that’s just four off USC (University of Southern California).
With whom they compete for the wonderfully-titled Jeweled Shillelagh.
ND’s rivalry with today’s opponents, Navy, is rather more one-sided.
Navy and Notre Dame played 93 games without interruption from 1927 to 2019 with ND enjoying a 43-game win streak.
The record only snapped by Navy’s win in 2007.
ND also hold an 82-13-1 record over Navy to date.
The Annapolis, Marylanders have a fight on their hands then to overcome the Irishmen back in the Oul Sod.
In truth though today’s game will be a celebration of the ties between Ireland and America.
Aers and Stripes
And a reminder of Aer Lingus’s connection with the States (and Canada).
With 16 direct routes with the latest addition to the roster Denver, the Mile High City, and home to the Broncos.
Now Maryland is clearly easier to reach than Indiana, through Washington DC.
We found an 11hr 23mins round trip through Orlando with Aer Lingus to South Bend from €945 round trip.
So as we go all gridiron today and say Aviva AmAerican Football just something to throw forward.
So that you can experience a truly authentic American experience, college football.