Airline Aer Lingus has signed on as Title Sponsor of a five-game series of college American football matches that will held at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium from 2020.
The series kicks off with the return of Navy v Notre Dame, which will take place on August 29, 2020, with other fixtures and teams to be announced in due course. Previous Dublin clashes between Navy and Notre Dame in 2012 and 1996 are two of nine college football games previously held in the country.
The previous Navy v Notre Dame fixture at Aviva Stadium in 2012 saw 35,000 fans travel from the US, resulting in one of the largest economic and tourism boosts for the country in recent memory. In 2012, Navy v Notre Dame generated €60m ($68.3m) for Dublin and an estimated €100m in total for Ireland.
The five-game series is estimated to bring an economic boost of over €250m to the Irish economy. Aer Lingus chief executive Stephen Kavanagh said: “The US is a key market for the airline and one which we know very well. As a result, we know how important college football is in American life.
“As we continue to realise our ambition to be the leading value carrier on the North Atlantic – we currently have direct flights to Ireland from 15 North American destinations and this is set to increase in the coming years – a high-profile partnership with college football provides Aer Lingus with a unique opportunity to promote ourselves to this key strategic US audience.”