Dec. 13, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Fans who have not secured their tickets for Penn State's historic appearance in the Croke Park Classic will have an opportunity to do so beginning Monday, December 16.
Starting on Monday, all Penn State alumni and fans will be able purchase remaining tickets ranging from $105-125 (â'¬80 - â'¬95) in the Penn State sections for the highly anticipated contest. Nittany Lion Club members and Penn State Alumni Association members have purchased more than 3,000 individual tickets this week for the historic event.
Coach Bill O'Brien's Nittany Lions will meet UCF in Dublin, Ireland on August 30, 2014. The season opening game will be the first international contest for both schools. Coach George O'Leary's Knights (11-1) are ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and earned an automatic berth into the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), playing Baylor in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Penn State will be playing its first international game since the program's 1887 inception when it meets UCF at Croke Park, the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). The contest will be the eighth American college football game in Ireland and the first at Croke Park since 1996.
Over the past several weeks, Penn State has worked with Croke Park and the GAA to make individual sale tickets in the Penn State sections available as a courtesy to its loyal and passionate alumni, fans and students. The individual sale is being directed by Croke Park and tickets will be purchased directly through its website. The individual sale tickets do not include any travel amenities, ground transportation or any of the planned activities associated with the official Penn State tour packages, which are available at: PSU.CrokeParkClassic.com.
All fans interested in purchasing individual tickets for the Croke Park Classic can do so at www.ticketmaster.ie/psufootball and by entering the passcode, PSUDUBLIN14. There is a limit of eight tickets in the Penn State seating areas. The public ticket offering will end December 31.
Remaining tickets in historic Croke Park in central Dublin are priced at $105 (Lower Tier 1-300 Level and Upper Tier 1-700 Level) and $125 (Premium, 500 Level).
Special student travel packages also are available with the official Penn State tour packages at: PSU.CrokeParkClassic.com/Students.
The Croke Park seating chart is located at: www.crokepark.ie/about/seating-plans
The Official Penn State Tour, presented by the Penn State Alumni Association and the Nittany Lion Club, provides alumni, members, students and fans an opportunity to discover Ireland's rich history, unique traditions and scenic beauty - as well as attend the Nittany Lions' first international game. The contest vs. UCF will kick at 1:30 p.m. local time at Croke Park.
Packages include accommodations at three-, four- or five-star hotels, game tickets, an exclusive private party at the world-famous Guinness Storehouse, excursion tours, gameday transportation, a full Irish breakfast each morning and much more. In addition to these package inclusions, Anthony Travel, Penn State's tour partner, will offer special rates on airfare through Aer Lingus, Ireland's national airline.
Fans purchasing an official package prior to December 31, 2013 will be assigned seats based on Nittany Lion Club priority points. For fans who are not NLC members, seating will be determined by the date the travel package was purchased. Tickets included with the Official Tour packages will be the best seats located in the Penn State sections of Croke Park.
There have been only seven prior American football games in Ireland; four involving Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs. The last game hosted in Croke Park was in 1996 when Notre Dame played Navy. Croke Park will have a capacity of 69,000 for the Penn State-UCF clash.
Penn State will be the first Big Ten Conference team to play internationally since Michigan State and Wisconsin met in Tokyo in 1993.
Penn State has won 15 of its last 22 games under second-year coach O'Brien and finished the 2013 season with a 7-5 mark (4-4 Big Ten). The Nittany Lions return 16 starters for the 2014 season (8 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist).
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing 2014 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.