A new era in Notre Dame athletics begins next Monday (July 1) when the Fighting Irish officially join the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Notre Dame Anticipating July Atlantic Coast Conference Membership

June 26, 2013

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame officially becomes a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference on July 1, 2013 — and you’ll see Notre Dame’s new conference affiliation represented in a variety of ways in the coming weeks and months:

  • Beginning this week you may have noticed digital billboards around the Michiana area displaying Notre Dame/ACC logos and the phrase “The Journey Begins” with a countdown clock for July 1.
  • A Notre Dame/ACC splash page will be found when you log on to UND.com beginning at 12:01 a.m. on July 1.
  • UND.com throughout the month of July will feature both video and editorial content that will highlight ACC connections both past and present for each Irish varsity sport, as well as an exclusive video interview with Notre Dame vice president and athletics director Jack Swarbrick as he explains the how’s and why’s of Notre Dame’s relationship with the ACC.
  • New Facebook cover pages for each sport will be released documenting athletic history against current ACC programs.
  • To celebrate Notre Dame’s accomplishments in the BIG EAST Conference since the University joined in 1995, a BIG EAST retrospective will be presented on UND.com, including recaps of top accomplishments through the years. Notre Dame’s 2012-13 highlights in BIG EAST competition will be featured.
  • Look for plenty of social media coverage of Notre Dame and the ACC via hash tag #IrishACC and ACC twitter handle @TheACC.

Also, the official ACC Web site (theacc.com) will feature video interviews with Swarbrick, Irish men’s basketball coach Mike Brey and Irish women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw in July.

Notre Dame becomes a member of the ACC in most sports beginning with the 2013-14 athletic year. The Irish hockey team moves to Hockey East in 2013-14 — and the Irish football team beginning in 2014 will play five games per year against ACC schools and also will have access to the list of ACC postseason football bowl options.

Notre Dame’s first official ACC event will be a Sept. 7 home men’s soccer contest between the Irish and North Carolina. The Notre Dame women’s soccer squad plays its first league match on the road — Sept. 12 at North Carolina State — then returns home to play host to Syracuse on Sept. 19. The Irish volleyball squad team also opens ACC play on the road — Sept. 27 at North Carolina — then plays its first home conference match Oct. 2 against Duke.

The ACC will present its new lineup of institutions in New York on July 1 — with a delegation led by commissioner John Swofford ringing the NASDAQ closing bell and taking part in various media activities with conference and institutional representatives.

— ND —