SOUTH BEND — The British are coming! The British are coming!
Back to Notre Dame Stadium, that’s.
Chelsea FC and Scotland’s Celtic FC, two of probably the most tradition-laden soccer golf equipment on this planet, will conduct a pleasant match on July 27 on the house of Notre Dame soccer. Pete Bevacqua, designated athletic director for Notre Dame, made the announcement on Monday afternoon.
“Notre Dame and the encircling South Bend group is used to internet hosting big-time sporting occasions,” Bevacqua mentioned. “I feel South Bend will likely be prepared. It’s occurring at a good time of 12 months. To have it in the summertime, nicely earlier than soccer season begins, I feel it’s simply going to be an incredible financial boon for the town of South Bend and an effective way to additional showcase how South Bend can deal with large occasions and positively what we are able to do right here on campus at Notre Dame.”
Chelsea, six-time champions of the English Premier League, toured the U.S. the previous two summers. Presently eleventh within the league standings, the famed Blues beforehand introduced preseason matches for July 24 in Santa Clara, Calif., and July 31 in Atlanta.
Whereas these matches will happen on the house venues of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons, Chelsea will reportedly face Manchester Metropolis at Ohio Stadium, house of the Ohio State Buckeyes, this summer time as nicely.
Primarily based in Glasgow, Scotland, Celtic has claimed the Scottish Premiership title a file 53 occasions. Identified colloquially as The Celts or The Hoops, Celtic gained the European Cup in 1967, changing into the primary British membership to take action.
Celtic was based in 1887, the identical 12 months Notre Dame soccer performed its inaugural recreation in opposition to Michigan.
Chelsea FC dates to 1905 at Stamford Bridge, its West London house the place the membership was initially often known as The Pensioners. Forbes Journal estimated Chelsea FC’s worth as of 2022 at $3.1 billion, eighth highest amongst all soccer franchises.
From 2019:Natural turf being installed at Notre Dame Stadium for professional soccer match
It will mark the second such exhibition match at Notre Dame. In July 2019, Borussia Dortmund of the German Bundesliga handed Liverpool of the EPL a 3-2 defeat on a 90-degree evening.
Paid attendance was simply 40,361, half of Notre Dame Stadium’s practically 81,000-seat capability. That file for largest crowd to witness soccer within the state stays the 41,983 who watched Chelsea play Inter Milan (Italy) in 2013 at Lucas Oil Stadium, house of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
“We predict the crowds will likely be right here,” Bevacqua mentioned. “We predict we’ll get hopefully no less than 70,000 individuals. Hopefully we are able to do greater than 70,000, however we’ll drum up pleasure. Hopefully we’ll have a wonderful day in July. I feel we’ll pack the stadium. That’s our intent, that’s our hope and positively our expectation.”
Extra:Liverpool plays to halftime tie in friendly at Notre Dame
Liverpool drew 101,000 at Michigan Stadium in July 2018 throughout its summer time tour of the U.S.
For the 2019 match at Notre Dame, which performs on synthetic turf, a short lived grass enjoying floor was hauled in from New Jersey and put in in 2,000-pound strips measuring 100 ft lengthy.
The intense warmth hampered the method and made the enjoying floor a post-match matter for Liverpool supervisor Jurgen Klopp.
“Troublesome as a result of it’s not a soccer pitch,” Klopp mentioned. “They put grass on it. Everyone tries his finest, however in the long run you noticed these two groups can play a lot better soccer. It’s tough when the ball shouldn’t be rolling. That’s an vital a part of the sport — that the ball rolls.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame soccer for NDInsider.com and is on social media @MikeBerardino.
