Navy’s athletic director is optimistic that the Midshipmen’s Aug. 29 game against Notre Dame in Dublin, Ireland, will proceed as planned.
The status of the college football season opener at Aviva Stadium is up in the air due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re going to play it,” Chet Gladchuk told ESPN. “We expect this to pass. We’re not naive. We’re five months away from that game happening. There’s a lot that could happen in five months. If the economy and the United States are still shut down in five months, we all have significant issues, more so than a game in Dublin.”
Gladchuk said the ultimate decision will be based heavily on input from medical officials.
“The game is important, but nothing will supersede the medical issues and the direction we get from the medical authorities,” he said. “As ambitious as we are, it’s got to be cleared and travel has to be cleared and international travel has to be cleared for that to be realistic.”
Navy and Notre Dame have met twice before in Dublin, in 1996 and 2012. The Midshipmen and Fighting Irish have played annually since 1927, the third-longest never-interrupted rivalry in college football, with Notre Dame holding a 77-13-1 lead in the series.
Earlier this week, Irish coach Brian Kelly said the schools were discussing moving the game. Since it is a home game for Navy, potential replacement sites could include Annapolis, Md., as well as Baltimore and Washington.
