June 4, 2015
THE FLATS — Georgia Tech and Boston College will open the 2016 football season in Dublin, Ireland, for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The game, which will be the official ACC opener for both schools, will be held Sept. 3, 2016, at Aviva Stadium, and is scheduled to be televised on ESPN2.
The official announcement was made Thursday in Dublin by Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, Lord Mayor of Dublin Christy Burke, and officials from Aer Lingus, Tourism Ireland and Boston College.
“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 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,” head coach Paul 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. As the official travel partner for both the 2012 and 2014 Ireland games, Anthony Travel coordinated the movement of more than 15,000 travelers oversees. For more information on travel packages, visit GT2Ireland.com or call 877-260-0645.
The game is being organized by Irish American Events Ltd which is a joint venture between Corporate.ie and Anthony Travel who have been involved in the recent college football games in Ireland.
“We are thrilled that Georgia Tech, a truly world class institute, will be bringing its Yellow Jackets football team to Dublin to open the 2016 season,” said Paul Gleeson, Consul General of Ireland in Atlanta. “We can promise the Georgia Tech fan base an outstanding experience in Ireland with our unique blend of beautiful scenery, rich culture, and famous hospitality.”
For more information on the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, fans can follow on social media — Twitter (@CFBireland), Facebook (facebook.com/collegefootballireland), and Instagram (@CFBireland). The official hashtag for the game is #GameonIRE.
The 2016 Aer Lingus College Football Classic is also part of the ACC Worldwide initiative that seeks to further the conference’s member institutions internationally through promotion, marketing, and athletics competition.
When Georgia Tech and Boston College play in Ireland, it will be the first series meeting since Oct. 20, 2012, a 37-17 Yellow Jackets win on The Flats. Georgia Tech leads the brief series 6-2, including a 3-0 mark away from Bobby Dodd Stadium. The game will be the first in the series not played on either team’s home field.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GeorgiaTechFB), Facebook (facebook.com/GTAthletics), and Instagram (@GTAthletics) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
ABOUT ACC WORLDWIDE
The Atlantic Coast Conference, which for over six decades has established itself as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation, is comprised of 15 universities that stand among the world’s most renowned in higher education. Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest each have global reach with their brands, student populations and academic missions. ACC Worldwide seeks to further the conference’s member institutions internationally through promotion, marketing and athletic competition. For more information, visit theacc.com/page/acc-worldwide.
