The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are one of the oldest and most revered teams in all of college football. Based out of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, the Fighting Irish played their first game in 1887. Whether you’re a longtime Notre Dame fan, or you are just getting into NCAA football, catching a Fighting Irish game is a momentous occasion. If you’re thinking of going to a game, you will want to make sure that you get the most out of it.
Here, we’ve compiled everything that you will need to know to get to a game and have a great time while doing so.
April 22
SAT 03:30 am
September 02
SAT 03:30 am
September 09
SAT 03:30 am
September 16
SAT 03:30 am
September 23
SAT 03:30 am
September 30
SAT 03:30 am
October 07
SAT 03:30 am
October 14
SAT 03:30 am
About the Team
Notre Dame has had one of the most successful NCAA football teams of all-time. They’ve claimed 11 National Championships, have had seven players win the Heisman Trophy, and have had 13 members of the team go on to be enshrined the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That latter number is an NCAA record. Only one team has had more players drafted into the NFL.
Notre Dame has a historically successful team. They’re currently independent in terms of a conference, but they are still eligible to compete in Bowl games and any National Championship game that they might qualify for. This has not adversely impacted the quality of the opponents that they play. They consistently have a tough schedule, and they consistently are successful. This says a lot about the team and the management staff that works for Notre Dame.
Notre Dame has established some strong rivalries over the years. Their biggest rivalry is undoubted with USC Trojans. Between these two teams, there have been more National Titles and Heisman winners than any other rivalry in all of college football. The first matchup between these teams was in 1926, and other than during World War II, they have been playing each other every year. Notre Dame has a sizeable lead over USC in the all-time series, but these games are always exciting. They also sell a lot of tickets, regardless of where they play.
Other big rivals include the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines. Both teams are geographically close to Notre Dame, and both always put up a really good fight. These are some of the most popular regular-season games for Notre Dame football fans.
About the Stadium
The Fighting Irish play at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. The stadium was built in 1930 and was just recently renovated in 2015. The seating capacity stands at around 78,000. The same group of architects that designed the original Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park helped to build Notre Dame Stadium, giving it a historical aspect that a lot of other colleges (and pro!) stadiums do not have.
Like a lot of other college football teams, pre and post-game parties are a way of life around Notre Dame football. The campus opens up parking for tailgaters at 7 AM on game day. There are a few campus rules that need to be followed, though. For example, you can’t hold parking spots, so if you are coming in as a group, make sure that you all arrive together. Also, alcohol is not allowed in the central part of the campus. These rules are enforced pretty strictly, so be sure to follow them. Each car needs to have its own parking pass for the appropriate lot, too. We have included some information below on getting a parking pass if you don’t already have one.
Despite the huge size of Notre Dame Stadium, tickets can be hard to find, especially when there’s a big rival in town or the team is headed for an epic season. If you’re trying to find tickets for a Notre Dame game, keep reading!
Getting Tickets
Tickets to a Notre Dame game are always a big deal. Getting tickets is really easy if you are a student or an alumnus; you can often even get a discount on tickets this way! For the rest of us, tickets will be a little bit harder to find. That’s okay, it’s still not all that difficult, especially if you are planning ahead.
We suggest checking out the major third party ticket sites. StubHub, SeatGeek, and a few others all have sterling reputations when it comes to customer service and quality. If you’re not able to find tickets directly from the school, then these sites are the next best place to look. To get started, you don’t even need an account. However, having an account with one or more of the sites can be a huge help. This way, you can download their app and search for tickets on the go, use coupons and promo codes, and even have price alerts sent to you when tickets are available for the big game. We highly recommend creating an account, but you definitely don’t need to when starting your search.
Using one of these sites is really easy. First, set a search for the game you’d like to go to. You will likely see a couple of different dates, so be sure to select the right game and the right location. Next, you’ll be able to see all of the tickets that are currently available for that particular game. If you’re not too picky about where you sit, this is the place to start. It’s usually a good idea to narrow your search down so that the tickets you are seeing are in your price range and in the area of Notre Dame Stadium that you’d like to be sitting in.
Finally, just pick the ticket and check out! It’s that simple. You will want to make sure that you select the delivery type that best suits your needs. If you have a couple of weeks before the game, you can have it delivered to your home, but electronic tickets tend to be a little bit cheaper, and they are ideal for last-minute purchases. Just download the ticket onto your phone and present it at the gate.
Parking passes are also available online through these sites. Be sure to plan ahead and buy your parking pass early so that you don’t need to scramble at the last moment to find a parking spot.
