Navy vs Notre Dame: Analysis says US college football game was worth over €180m to Ireland

Georgia Tech and Florida play in August, with Kansas and Iowa coming in 2025

The razzmatazz of American football creates a great spectacle. Photo: Alive

Donal O'Donovan

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic 2023 in Dublin last year generated €180m for the Irish economy, according to new analysis by Grant Thornton of the American football extravaganza.

The match between Notre Dame – the “Fighting Irish” – and the US Navy caught the imagination of huge numbers of gridiron fans who travelled in force for the first game of its kind in Dublin since Covid. The Fighting Irish won 42-3.