NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anthony Travel, the nationally recognized and award-winning leader in collegiate sports travel management, in partnership with Corporate.ie, today launched the sale of Official Travel and Hospitality Packages for the 2021 Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The University of Illinois recently announced that it will host the University of Nebraska at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland on August 28, 2021. Travel and Hospitality Packages for the 2021 Aer Lingus College Football Classic are available exclusively at, collegefootballireland.com. Anthony Travel is a division of On Location Experiences, a premium experiential hospitality business.
“Irish American Events was formed in 2015 with a goal to establish Ireland as the European headquarters of college football,” said John Anthony, of Irish American Events Limited. “Today as we announce the Fighting Illini versus Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2021, we are thrilled to have these programs pursue this tremendous opportunity for their student-athletes, fans, and universities. The 2021 Aer Lingus Classic will be the second game in an annual, five-game series, and they will follow Notre Dame and Navy who will visit Ireland, along with ESPN College GameDay, in 2020. This is the first time in history that there will be consecutive years of American college football games in Ireland. We are honored that these universities recognize that the Aer Lingus College Football Classic is much more than a game, and Irish American Events is thrilled to promote and operate this prestigious series.”
Speaking about the announcement, An Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar T.D. said, “It’s great to see new teams getting involved in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Ten of thousands of fans are expected to make the journey for each game in the series over the next five years, bringing with them a huge boost for the economy. Illinois and Nebraska players and fans can look forward to the best of Irish hospitality. The series will showcase Ireland as a location for international events and tournaments and put our world-leading tourism sector front and centre. The 2020 game between Notre Dame and Navy is fast approaching and now sports fans have another great occasion to plan for in 2021.”
Official travel and hospitality packages are now available and currently the only source for fans to purchase game tickets for the 2020 and 2021 games. Anthony Travel offers a variety of packages for those looking to travel to Dublin for the game and for those looking to extend their trip to explore Ireland before or after the game. All travel packages include a premium game ticket, hotel accommodations, a private welcome gathering and city excursions. Hospitality packages are on sale now through the official corporate hospitality game partner Corporate.ie.
Anthony Travel is the Official Travel Partner for the Aer Lingus College Football Series. The Series’ five games, including ticket sales and ancillary events, are managed and promoted by Irish American Events Ltd (“IAEL”), a joint venture between Anthony Travel and Corporate.ie, a leading Irish events and hospitality company.
Commenting on the announcement, Aer Lingus CEO Seán Doyle said, “With the excitement building ahead of the return of Navy and Notre Dame next August for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic 2020, it is great to see such enthusiasm from other teams to cross the North Atlantic to play in Ireland in 2021. As title sponsor of the five-game series we have no doubt that this exciting event will strengthen the important ties, both in sports and in tourism, between Ireland and the US.
Doyle continued, “Aer Lingus, Ireland’s only 4-star airline, is undergoing its largest ever transatlantic expansion, building towards our aim of becoming the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic. We now fly to 14 North American destinations direct from Ireland. The Aer Lingus College Football Classic provides us with a unique opportunity to promote ourselves to this key strategic US audience.”
August 29, 2020— The United States Naval Academy vs. Notre Dame University
For more information for fan travel options, please visit: nd2ireland.com & navy2ireland.com
August 28, 2021— The University of Illinois vs. The University of Nebraska
For more information for fan travel options, please visit: illini2ireland.com & huskers2ireland.com
2022— To be announced soon
For more information on the Aer Lingus College Football Series, please visit: collegefootballireland.com
About Anthony Travel
Anthony Travel is a full-service travel management company specializing in university and athletic travel. Founded in 1989, Anthony Travel has 29 years of experience in collegiate travel, servicing over 80 college athletic departments year-round and numerous other universities throughout the year with special events. Anthony Travel manages all housing and travel components of 300+ athletic events annually and has managed over 160 international athletic tours in more than 30 countries on 6 continents. Anthony Travel has played a significant role in the formation and execution of all of the successful overseas college football games of recent history, including the 2012 Emerald Isle Classic, 2014 Croke Park Classic and 2016 Aer Lingus College Football Classic, both played in Dublin and broadcast around the world. Anthony Travel consulted and executed with the participating universities on stadium selection, revenue strategies including sponsorships and ticket sales, marketing, travel packages, tourism relationships, pep rallies, pre-game parties and various ancillary events.
About On Location Experiences
On Location Experiences is a leader in premium, experiential, hospitality business, establishing a new industry standard to serve iconic rights holders with extensive experience in ticketing, curated hospitality, live event production and travel management in the worlds of sports and entertainment. On Location is a partner to over 150 rights holders including the NFL, NCAA, the PGA of America and the United States Tennis Association, and provides unrivaled official access for both corporate clients and fans looking for immersive experiences at marquee events including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL Draft, NCAA Final Four, PGA of America events, numerous College Football Bowl Games and the Tennis Majors.
On Location through CID Entertainment & Future Beat also partners with numerous artists and music festivals across genres, including Imagine Dragons, Metallica, Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa, Electric Daisy Carnival, Migos, Post Malone, Iron Maiden and J.Cole.
On Location's operations include: Anthony Travel, CID Entertainment, Future Beat, Kreate Inc, PrimeSport and Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours.
On Location Experiences is a privately held company, owned by RedBird Capital Partners, Bruin Sports Capital, 32 Equity and the Carlyle Group. For more information about On Location Experiences, please visit www.onlocationexp.com.