This year’s Notre Dame-Navy game is being played at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego Saturday night, and a "sellout crowd of 66,000 is expected with advance sales proving extremely brisk," according to Bill Wagner of the Annapolis CAPITAL. The game is being hosted by the San Diego Bowl Game Association, which runs the Holiday Bowl, with Navy Federal and Navy Mutual "serving as presenting sponsors." SDBGA Exec Dir Mark Neville said demand for the game has "been pretty remarkable," and there is an "urgency because tickets are going fast." Neville noted Notre Dame has "never played" in San Diego. Eight of Navy’s 13 wins over Notre Dame "have come at a neutral site when the former was considered the home team." Whenever Navy is the “home” team in this series, the game is "played at a neutral site, usually at an NFL stadium." Navy will "certainly have its fair share of fans" at SDCCU Stadium on Saturday, as San Diego "hosts the largest naval fleet in the world" (Annapolis CAPITAL, 10/23). In San Diego, Bryce Miller noted before the Poinsettia Bowl was discontinued after the '16 game, the SDBGA's relationship with Navy had "become a priority." Navy AD Chet Gladchuck said the academy "had a commitment" to then-SDBGA Exec Dir Bruce Binkowski to play in San Diego "at least once in every four years." So after the Poinsettia Bowl's discontinuation, Gladchuck said it "made perfect sense" to schedule a game against Notre Dame in San Diego. Gladchuck: “We felt like we owed it to Navy to bring the academy back to the West Coast” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/25).
LUCK OF THE IRISH: The CAPITAL's Wagner noted the '20 Navy-Notre Dame game "will be held at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland." The Aug. 29 game will mark the "third time the two schools have played in Dublin" after games in '96 and '12. Navy-Notre Dame is "part of a five-game American Football Series" in Ireland. Airline Aer Lingus will title sponsor the series, and "all five games will be played in Aviva Stadium, starting with the Navy-Notre Dame game." The series will be branded as The Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The games "will be organized by Irish American Events Ltd. which is a joint venture between Corporate.ie and Anthony Travel who have been involved in college football games in Ireland previously" (CAPITALGAZETTE.com, 10/25). In South Bend, Eric Hansen noted Aviva Stadium has a "capacity of 49,000." The game, which will serve as a Navy home game, was "originally scheduled for Sept. 5 at MetLife Stadium." Saturday's game in San Diego will be the "10th different neutral–site venue that Navy and ND have met" (NDINSIDER.com, 10/25).
