On Saturday, Florida State will kick off its much-anticipated 2024 soccer season.
Over time, the Seminoles have began their season in a lot of completely different places. Normally, it’s at dwelling, contained in the sunny and steamy confines of Doak Campbell Stadium in late August or early September. In different cases, like towards LSU every of the earlier two seasons, it was at some type of impartial website in the US.
This 12 months, Florida State should journey just a bit farther to play its first recreation of the season.
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Almost 9 full months after profitable the ACC and being snubbed by the Faculty Soccer Playoff, the Seminoles will tackle Georgia Tech in Dublin in what would be the first FBS school soccer recreation of the 2024 season.
Although the advantages of such a recreation are evident, notably for gamers and followers, the association isn’t with out some questions — particularly, why is a recreation between a pair of convention foes whose campuses are separated by a 4.5-hour drive being performed 4,000 miles away?
Right here’s what it’s essential to know in regards to the Seminoles’ Week 0 recreation towards Georgia Tech, and why it’s happening in Dublin:
Florida State vs Georgia Tech location
- Stadium: Aviva Stadium
- Location: Dublin
Florida State and Georgia Tech might be taking part in in Dublin at Aviva Stadium, the house of Eire’s nationwide rugby and soccer groups. The venue seats 49,000 for American soccer video games.
The matchup between the Seminoles and Yellow Jackets would be the third school soccer recreation in as a few years at Aviva Stadium, approaching the heels of Northwestern-Nebraska in 2022 and Notre Dame-Navy in 2023.
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Why is Florida State vs Georgia Tech in Eire?
it might appear odd to journey 1000’s of miles throughout an ocean for a recreation between two groups which have performed 25 of their 27 all-time conferences on campus. Nonetheless, there are causes for Florida State and Georgia Tech’s matchup happening in Dublin.
Saturday’s contest is a part of the Aer Lingus Faculty Soccer Basic, with naming rights belonging to Eire’s most outstanding airline. The sequence was first introduced in June 2015 and had its first recreation in 2016, when Georgia Tech beat Boston Faculty 17-14.
For followers, it’s a chance to observe their beloved workforce play in individual whereas utilizing that recreation as a chance to journey to and discover a rustic they’ve maybe by no means visited. For gamers and coaches, it’s an opportunity to immerse themselves within the tradition of one other nation.
“I’m so excited for our student-athletes, coaches, employees, administration and followers for this chance,” Seminoles coach Mike Norvell stated in an announcement when the sport was introduced. “When this concept was first introduced to me, I used to be instantly intrigued by a once-in-a-lifetime expertise for the individuals in our program. The way in which the 2024 season lays out with a 3rd open date, the journey made sense from a soccer perspective as nicely. Only a few individuals have the prospect to journey to a unique continent and expertise one other tradition, a lot much less take a whole workforce, so I’m appreciative of everybody’s arduous work and help to make this recreation occur.”
For the college and its athletic division, there are self-interested causes to make the journey throughout the Atlantic Ocean. The sport is a useful alternative for publicity, notably with it being a standalone matchup that kicks off the 2024 season for a football-starved viewers.
“Florida State is a world model, and this recreation additional enforces that,” Florida State athletic director Michael Alford stated in an announcement in March 2023. “This recreation permits us to offer an unmatched athletic and cultural expertise for our student-athletes whereas representing Florida State on a world stage. I’m trying ahead to seeing our followers in Dublin whereas additionally making new followers throughout the Atlantic. We’re appreciative of all of the efforts which have already gone into the planning of this recreation and are excited for what’s to return over the following 12 months and a half.”
It is the second journey to Eire for Georgia Tech, which performed towards Boston Faculty within the aforementioned 2016 Aer Lingus Basic. The Yellow Jackets had greater than 12,000 followers make the journey that 12 months, in line with the college’s athletic division.
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What time is the Florida State recreation in Eire?
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 24
- Time: Midday ET
The Seminoles and Yellow Jackets will kick off from Aviva Stadium in Dublin at midday ET on Saturday.
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Historical past of faculty soccer video games in Eire
Dublin — and Aviva Stadium, particularly — has develop into a fixture of the primary week of faculty soccer lately.
Saturday’s recreation between Florida State and Georgia Tech would be the sixth in Dublin since 2012, with 5 of these happening at Aviva Stadium. There are a number of extra contests on the horizon, too, with Iowa State and Kansas State set to play there subsequent 12 months and Pitt and Wisconsin squaring off two years after that.
Although the previous 15 years have represented a resurgence, a school soccer recreation being performed in Eire isn’t a very new idea. There have been three video games in Eire between 1988-96, starting with Boston Faculty’s 38-24 win towards Military in 1988.
Right here’s a have a look at the historical past of faculty soccer video games in Eire, together with video games scheduled for the following years:
- 1988: Boston Faculty 38, Military 24
- 1989: No. 24 Pitt 46, Rutgers 29
- 1996: No. 19 Notre Dame 54, Navy 27
- 2012: Notre Dame 50, Navy 10
- 2014: Penn State 26, UCF 24
- 2016: Georgia Tech 17, Boston Faculty 14
- 2022: Northwestern 31, Nebraska 28
- 2023: No. 13 Notre Dame 42, Navy 3
- 2024: No. 10 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech
- 2025: Kansas State vs. Iowa State
- 2027: Pitt vs. Wisconsin
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