Notre Dame vs Navy may be in jeopardy pending possible Irish High Court decision

In an event which is reported to bring $100 million to the local Irish economy, the Emerald Isle Classic American Football game between the University of Notre Dame and the US Naval Academy in Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, may be in jeopardy of proceeding pending a possible decision by the High Court.

Initially reported by Steven O'Rourke in thejournal.ie , the Irish American Football Association (IAFA), regarded as the national governing body of American Football in Ireland, are at loggerheads with officials from the Naval Academy in dispute of legal conditions signed between IAFA and Navy (designated home team) in March of 2011 during the sanctioning of the event.

While the finer details of the dispute are not understood at this time, O'Rourke reports that the agreement was designed to facilitate the grassroots development of American Football in Ireland, the most prominent of which was to be a ‘flag-football’ programme for 1,500 Irish schoolchildren.

The news of a possible cancellation of the game will be of concern to the estimated 33,000 fans travelling from the US for the game, as well as local supporters. Indeed, such is the demand for tickets, sets for four are selling for over €1,000 online.

Tickets for the event are sold out and is expected to have a massive TV audience as it is to be screened on CBS in the United States and worldwide via ESPN America.

Jason is owner and author of godcountrynotredame.me and writes for both IrishCentral and domersportsreport You can find Jason on twitter at @jayomahony