College Football Penn St/UCF Game confirmed 2014 in Croker

TO.

Apparently a game has been confirmed. UCLA is floating around but I have a feeling they mean UCF. Opponent unconfirmed. But once I hear more I will let you know. It could break before I hear back anyways.

davetherave

Penn St @ UCF?

Syferus

Ah, the home of Irish sport. That's more like it.

There'll be plenty of room for locals at Croker anyways.

TO.

davetherave wrote: »

Penn St @ UCF?

No details as yet. There was meetings in Croker with a college and the GAA. Only thing that seemed definite was the date.

helimachoptor

Over a year away

wawaman

Is Dublin becoming to College Football what London is to the NFL !?

Phoenix Park

wawaman wrote: »

Is Dublin becoming to College Football what London is to the NFL !?

Hopefully

SantryRed

I think Croke Park is probably a bad idea tbh. Pitch is too big, stadium is probably too big too. I thought the Aviva was perfect.

JaMarcus Hustle

It's 100% Penn State @ UCF. Michael Aresco has been promoting it to the media already, Bill O'Brien practically confirmed it too a few weeks ago and again last week. UCF officials have already been and gone about a month ago to Croke Park.

I texted a guy I know stateside who's always ahead of the curve when it comes to Florida colleges - I usually only hassle him about recruiting but he said George O'Leary and Todd Stansbury will be over to visit Croker in the next fortnight to outline their requirements as home team.

TO.

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

It's 100% Penn State @ UCF. Michael Aresco has been promoting it to the media already, Bill O'Brien practically confirmed it too a few weeks ago and again last week. UCF officials have already been and gone about a month ago to Croke Park.

I texted a guy I know stateside who's always ahead of the curve when it comes to Florida colleges - I usually only hassle him about recruiting but he said George O'Leary and Todd Stansbury will be over to visit Croker in the next fortnight to outline their requirements as home team.

UCF executives were in Croker yesterday for some reason or another. Which execs they were and what they were discussing who knows but there.

Syferus

SantryRed wrote: »

I think Croke Park is probably a bad idea tbh. Pitch is too big, stadium is probably too big too. I thought the Aviva was perfect.

Only perfect for the optics of a full house that negated all but die-hard locals having a chance of attending. No seats when the fireworks started going off in the week leading up to it prevented a proper bandwagon around the game itself from developing.

It did less to promote the sport here than I'd have hoped because even the media focused on the dozens of thousands of Americans coming over for the match and positioned it far less of a sport we were participating in besides being happy hosts.

Croker is an excellent stadium with great viewing angles even if its large pitch suits other sports better. Advertised right it could expose a lot more locals to the sport than last year's game. Croke Park's history can be played up to entice more Irish-Americans over as well.

Great to see Dublin becoming a destination for the sport, though. If we make this one a success too we'll have made it.

SantryRed

Syferus wrote: »

Only perfect for the optics of a full house that negated all but die-hard locals having a chance of attending. No seats when the fireworks started going off in the week leading up to it prevented a proper bandwagon around the game itself from developing.

It did less to promote the sport here than I'd have hoped because even the media focused on the dozens of thousands of Americans coming over for the match and positioned it far less of a sport we were participating in besides being happy hosts.

Croker is an excellent stadium with great viewing angles even if its large pitch suits other sports better. Advertised right it could expose a lot more locals to the sport than last year's game. Croke Park's history can be played up to entice more Irish-Americans over as well.

Great to see Dublin becoming a destination for the sport, though. If we make this one a success too we'll have made it.

It was all to do with the Notre Dame factor though. There won't be even close to the same amount of Americans there as the game last year. I'd be surprised if the attendance would be over 50000. Even 50k in Croke Park doesn't look great.

Syferus

You can shut down the top tiers if attendance is expected to be less than 50k, the GAA have done that for years now for most non-Dublin games before the AISFs. Looks far better and creates a better atmosphere. Croke Park gives more scope for getting the public involved, especially if UCF (and the GAA in terms of their rental fees allowing it) have their heads screwed on and sell the tickets on the Canal End for a nice, casual friendly cheapo price.

Mikeyt086

Syferus wrote: »

Only perfect for the optics of a full house that negated all but die-hard locals having a chance of attending. No seats when the fireworks started going off in the week leading up to it prevented a proper bandwagon around the game itself from developing.

I decided 2 days before the game that I wanted to go and got 2 tickets with very little fuss.

TO.

Mikeyt086 wrote: »

I decided 2 days before the game that I wanted to go and got 2 tickets with very little fuss.

I ended up with spare tickets and took a hit on them just before the game. There was also plenty of empty seats in the Aviva also and tickets on sale before the game in the ticket office.

polaris68

Penn State have a massive fan base but it remains to be seen if they would travel to Ireland in the same numbers as Notre Dame fans.

Can't find much of a buzz about it on their fan websites but it is well over a year out still.

http://blog.pennlive.com/davidjones/2013/06/croke_park_and_dublin_ireland.html

BaronVon

polaris68 wrote: »

Penn State have a massive fan base but it remains to be seen if they would travel to Ireland in the same numbers as Notre Dame fans.

Can't find much of a buzz about it on their fan websites but it is well over a year out still.

http://blog.pennlive.com/davidjones/2013/06/croke_park_and_dublin_ireland.html

My Yank mate is a massive Penn State fan, he always travels to a game or 2 a year. From what he's said, I doubt there'll be as many over as ND, but he'll be over if it's on!

SantryRed

Syferus wrote: »

You can shut down the top tiers if attendance is expected to be less than 50k, the GAA have done that for years now for most non-Dublin games before the AISFs. Looks far better and creates a better atmosphere. Croke Park gives more scope for getting the public involved, especially if UCF (and the GAA in terms of their rental fees allowing it) have their heads screwed on and sell the tickets on the Canal End for a nice, casual friendly cheapo price.

But what is the point in having a half empty stadium when you could have a packed and more modern Aviva. I don't see the point in it.

I just don't see how this game will be for the casual fan. I just hope it's not too empty that it reflects badly on other games being staged here. Especially a NFL game.

LuckyLloyd

The ND / Navy game was announced over five years before it took place. People who travelled had spent years squirrelling a few quid away to use the game as an excuse for an Irish trip. The US attendence for this one will be underwhelming, and it'll be a hard so to Irish people. 25k and an empty looking Croker is my guess.

frostie500

Absolutely stupid decision to look to have a game in Croker. The pitch was way too big for football and rugby (felt like you were a mile away from the action) and with an American Football pitch being even smaller it's hard to see how it will be a good viewing experience. Just keep the game at the Aviva, a perfectly sized stadium for the sport and presumably the level of interest in the game

DaveyCakes

frostie500 wrote: »

Absolutely stupid decision to look to have a game in Croker. The pitch was way too big for football and rugby (felt like you were a mile away from the action) and with an American Football pitch being even smaller it's hard to see how it will be a good viewing experience. Just keep the game at the Aviva, a perfectly sized stadium for the sport and presumably the level of interest in the game

There may be a rugby or soccer international in Lansdowne

TO.

DaveyCakes wrote: »

There may be a rugby or soccer international in Lansdowne

Most likely the case. That week is generally when International Qualifiers are played. Uefa will release the European Championship Qualifying groups and matches early in 2014 Feb I think. Id say waiting for those fixtures is pushing it for the NCAA and both colleges. Easier to use the available Croker.

Adamcp898

Were there any figures for the attendance broken down into American fans, Irish fans, and other European fans that traveled?

Could tell a lot about the likelihood of 80k tickets being sold, considering there could be those in Ireland for whom the novelty may be gone after the last one, adding to the lack of interest in college football (even amongst nfl fans here), the lesser likelihood that other Europeans will travel for a college game as opposed to an NFL one, and finally the chance that there'll be less American support too.

Choosing a bigger venue and still only selling 40k tickets could be all the encouragement they need to not come back for another as compared to picking a smaller venue and selling the same no. of tickets.

SantryRed

It's gonna be embarrassing in Croker tbh.

matthew8

If it's cheap to go I can see plenty of people going for the occasion. But if tickets cost much money at all I'll be staying home, along with plenty of other people.

I think the size thing is overblown. Sure the stands will be farther from the playing field but in the typical American Football stadium the upper tier is really far from the playing field anyway. I had a quick look on google maps at the distance between stands at Croke Park and the Rose Bowl, which is a decent bench mark for a college football stadium I would imagine. Croke Park is about 20 metres longer and wider total, which is 10 metres on each side. That's not a huge difference.

jack presley

There also won't be the novelty factor from semi-interested Irish people. I know a few who went last year just to see what it was all about etc. They won't be looking to go again.

Remember the original Emerald Isle Classics from back in the day? The first one between Boston College and Army was sold out but the next year when Pitt played Rutgers, the place was no where near sold out (too long ago to remember if it was half/two thirds/three quarters full). I reckon the second year affect will be in play here too.

Mikeyt086

jack presley wrote: »

There also won't be the novelty factor from semi-interested Irish people. I know a few who went last year just to see what it was all about etc. They won't be looking to go again.

Remember the original Emerald Isle Classics from back in the day? The first one between Boston College and Army was sold out but the next year when Pitt played Rutgers, the place was no where near sold out (too long ago to remember if it was half/two thirds/three quarters full). I reckon the second year affect will be in play here too.

I know a few people who went last year to see what it was all about and became fans of the sport, they absolutely can't wait to go to the next one.

Syferus

SantryRed wrote: »

It's gonna be embarrassing in Croker tbh.

Ridiculous statement. You're pulling numbers from no where and running around as if they're fact.

Last year's game was a great tourism boon but little more. A better focus on the sport itself will help all parties.

TO.

After blocking off certain rows the Stadiums capacity in Lansdowne is 51,700 and was reduced to 49,000

For what it is worth the official attendance for the game in Lansdowne was:

48,820. How accurate this number is who knows as there looked like there was more than 180 seats empty.

Officially the numbers of Americans who traveled over were down as 35,000 but I would imagine that number was slightly inflated.

UCD AFC

I couldn't make it last year, looking forward (a long time forward!) to this one.

SantryRed

Syferus wrote: »

Ridiculous statement. You're pulling numbers from no where and running around as if they're fact.

Last year's game was a great tourism boon but little more. A better focus on the sport itself will help all parties.

Regardless of the number. It'll be stupid in that stadium imo. It definitely won't break 40k. No chance at all.

BKWDR

I'd say if they marketed it correctly they would easily be able to open the upper tiers (that's if they americans travel)

The Notre Dame / Navy game, in fairness i didn't hear or see ANY marketing for it at all...im not saying there wasn't any but it wasn't mainstream as far as i'm concerned.
Ticket pricing will be key too i think

themont85

Croke Park is far far too big capacity wise and distance wise BUT;

I think you are underestimating Penn a bit. They would have a huge Irish fanbase (not as big as ND but big enough). And their Bowl ban means that their support will be looking at other ways to get out and support their team. The worry is the short time frame but I still think they will bring a decent number.

Now a smart thing for this game to have been tied into the Steelers in London this year so the crossover support could have made a good week out of it. Even if this was like the ND game this year and was the first week of the season you could have brought over the Steelers for their final pre season game and played a Florida NFL team or the Eagles the Wed or Thursday before the Saturday.

BaronVon

Penn State website all but confirms the game in Croker, the date seems to be an issue...

TO.

infacteh wrote: »

Penn State website all but confirms the game in Croker, the date seems to be an issue...

Whats weird is up until May of this year Penn State had a few dates open and they were both in October 2014. This is their official schedule as it stands:

2014 Penn State Football Schedule

Aug. 30 - TEMPLE
Sept. 6 - AKRON
Sept. 13 at *Rutgers
Sept. 20 UMass
Sept. 27 - Northwestern
Oct. 11 at *Michigan
Oct. 25 *Ohio State
Nov. 1 *Maryland
Nov. 8 - at *Indiana
Nov. 22 at Illinois
Nov. 29 - *Michigan State

Going to have to re-shuffle somewhere to make it happen.

TO.

Just found a good article talking about it:

http://www.fbschedules.com/2013/07/report-penn-state-ucf-play-at-croke-park-2014/

The Penn State Nittany Lions and the UCF Knights will face off at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland in 2014, according to a report today by The Irish Times.

Croke Park is to host an American football colleges fixture in the autumn of next year.

Details are expected in the next few days of the meeting of Penn State and the University of Central Florida.

Back in February, Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien said that they were looking into playing a future football game in Ireland.

“We are definitely looking into playing in Ireland, no question about it,” O’Brien said. “We’re working on an opponent and we’re working with the Big Ten on that. So that’s something that’s definitely in the works.”

Then in May, it was reported by The Orlando Sentinel that Penn State was close to finalizing the overseas game against the UCF Knights.

Penn State has two open dates on their 2014 football schedule – Oct. 4 and Oct. 18. However, it’s unlikely the game in Ireland will be played on either of those dates because they precede games against Michigan and Ohio State.

More than likely, the game will be the season-opener for both schools, which also means that previously scheduled non-conference games will have to be moved or postponed.

Penn State is currently slated to open the 2014 season at home vs. Temple on Aug. 30, while UCF is set to host Florida International on the same date.

Croke Park is the home of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Sports played at the stadium include hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball, and rounders.

The last American football game played at Croke Park was on July 27, 1997 between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears of the NFL. Notre Dame and Navy met at Croke Park in the Shamrock Classic in 1996.

Neil3030

Thread title changed per OP request.

Gweedling

Handball and rounders in croker? jaysus.

Madworld

Not too excited about UCF.

However if there is any truth to this article, then this would be phenomenal.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/7/9/4507706/alabama-notre-dame-could-play-future-fixtures-in-ireland

jack presley

The problem with the likes of Alabama is that it would more than likely be one of their non conference games and SEC teams usually pick walk overs for those games so the opposition would be very poor.

Guffy

What's the whole game fixture thing about?

ko4jm6y9iwv2lc

Tickets on sale now on Ticketmaster, priced from €20-€125, .

TO.

Milan Raspy Kilt wrote: »

Tickets on sale now on Ticketmaster, priced from €20-€125, .

Testing the waters it seems only a few sections on sale

http://www.ticketmaster.ie/penn-state-nittany-lions-v-ucf-dublin-08-30-2014/event/18004AEA9B082097?artistid=836126&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=102

jack presley

TO. wrote: »

Testing the waters it seems only a few sections on sale

http://www.ticketmaster.ie/penn-state-nittany-lions-v-ucf-dublin-08-30-2014/event/18004AEA9B082097?artistid=836126&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=102

I don't fancy going to a game starting at a minute to midnight...!!!

padraig_f

I'd have gone for the Aviva again after the success of last year's game, but maybe there was other interests involved.

Don't like to be negative, but I think this one has the potential to be much less successful than last year's game. Last year there was what, 35,000 Americans over, so less than 15,000 who attended the game were Irish. Now you have presumably much less Americans travelling over, a bigger stadium, less recognisable teams.

Also I think the interest in college football here is pretty small, even compared to NFL, which itself is a minority interest. I think there was a bit of a novelty factor to last year's game, and the fact that there was so many Americans travelling over, you knew it was going to be a bit of an event. I'm not sure the genuine interest is there from Irish people for following college football in large numbers.

Hope I'm wrong, but I'll be fairly surprised if this game is a success like last year's was.

eagle eye

Penn State have one of the biggest weekly attendances of any team in any sport in the world. I cannot imagine that the stadium will not be full for this.

SantryRed

eagle eye wrote: »

Penn State have one of the biggest weekly attendances of any team in any sport in the world. I cannot imagine that the stadium will not be full for this.

wtf does that have to do with a game in Ireland though? Not a chance it'll be full. Not even close.

padraig_f

eagle eye wrote: »

Penn State have one of the biggest weekly attendances of any team in any sport in the world. I cannot imagine that the stadium will not be full for this.

Just checking some of Penn State's road attendances from last year, not many sell-outs. In November they travelled to Purdue, a conference rival.

Attendance: 40,098
Capacity of Ross-Ade stadium: 62,500
Distance: 500 miles

For comparison, the previous Purdue home game vs. Wisconsin had an attendance of 46,000. The subsequent Purdue home game vs. Indiana had an attendance of 42,600.

Now you have a non-conference game against UCF, where you have to book trans-atlantic flights, several days accommodation, time off work, and you're predicting an 80,000 sell-out? That's not realistic.


Article on how attendances have fallen at Penn state consecutively for the last five years:
With 10,000 empty seats, Penn State takes another look at STEP program

A number of reasons like NCAA sanctions, but a big one is cost of tickets.

What does a trans-atlantic flight plus accomodation run to? You're looking at a starting point of several thousand dollars per-person. You have to be realistic, you can't just put on a game half-way around the world, and expect people to attend.

BaronVon

Milan Raspy Kilt wrote: »

Tickets on sale now on Ticketmaster, priced from €20-€125, .

That was quick!

Anyone buying any yet?

HigginsJ

Think I'm going to buy when I get paid at the end of the month. Lower tier of the Davin stand €40e

kingcobra

If I was to give someone my most preferred college team it'd be UCF solely because I've been to Orlando a few times so it's perfect for me to see them in Ireland

Lower tier tickets aren't too expensive either so it's something that I'd have to see!