Aug. 11, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s and women’s soccer teams will hold the 2010 “Meet The Teams” barbecue and fan appreciation event from 4-6 p.m. (ET) on Aug. 21 at the practice field north of old Alumni Field, the former home of the Fighting Irish soccer programs located on Twyckenham Drive along the southeast side of campus.
This annual event, which has become a favorite of fans and teams alike, will feature free food for the first 500 persons in attendance, courtesy of Famous Dave’s BBQ. In addition, members of both teams will be on hand to sign autographs and take pictures, and some of the student-athletes will even be available to compete in pick-up games with interested fans. There also will be face painting and t-shirt painting, and fans may sign up for guided tours of Alumni Stadium.
The “Meet The Teams” barbecue will take place as part of the opening weekend of the Notre Dame soccer season. The fourth-ranked Fighting Irish women will kick off the weekend with a pair of regular-season contests at Alumni Stadium against Minnesota (5:30 p.m. ET, Aug. 20) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2:30 p.m. ET, Aug. 22), with free t-shirts to be given away at the Milwaukee match on the 22nd.
Meanwhile, the Notre Dame men will open their 2010 campaign on Aug. 23, playing host to Illinois-Chicago in a 7 p.m. (ET) exhibition at Alumni Stadium. That match serves as the annual Fighting Irish preseason contest to benefit Grassroot Soccer — admission to that match is free, but donations will be accepted at the gate for Grassroot Soccer, an international AIDS awareness and education organization that reaches youth in Africa through soccer clinics. Tommy Clark, the son of Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark, is the founder and CEO of the organization.
Tickets for the 2010 Notre Dame men’s and women’s soccer season currently are available by contacting the Murnane Family Ticket Office by phone (574-631-7356) or in person (Gate 9 in the Rosenthal Atrium at Purcell Pavilion) weekdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET). Fans also can purchase tickets on-line through the tickets page of the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.UND.com/tickets) or by visiting the ticket windows at Alumni Stadium on match night. All Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross students are admitted free of charge to every Fighting Irish soccer match when presenting their student ID at the gate.
As a reminder — fans are encouraged to be a part of the new unofficial Notre Dame soccer supporters’ group, The Rakes of Mallow. This student-based group will attend all Fighting Irish men’s and women’s home matches this season and is aiming to create a special home pitch atmosphere unlike any other in college soccer. For more information, visit the Rakes of Mallow web site (www.rakesofmallow.net).
For all Notre Dame home soccer matches, fans are encouraged to park in the C1 lot (the main lot located south of Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center and just steps away from the main entrance to Alumni Stadium).
For more information on the Notre Dame soccer programs, join the Fighting Irish Twitter pages (www.twitter.com/UND_com and www.twitter.com/NDsoccernews) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the sidebars on the men’s and women’s soccer pages at UND.com.
— ND —