Energia Park will again welcome Friday night American football action when the Dublin High School Football Showcase is played in Ireland Friday, Aug. 28, which will feature Notre Dame Preparatory from Scottsdale.

Leinster Rugby’s Energia Park will host two games between varsity high school teams from Arizona, Connecticut, Florida and Illinois. The Fenwick High School Friars from Chicago will take on the NDP Saints while Kent School from Connecticut will face Florida’s Community School of Naples.

“We look forward to again bringing student-athletes, their families and supporters to this first-class facility and welcoming local sports fans who have always come out in force to support the event,” Global Football Founder and President Patrick Steenberge said in a prepared statement. “This showcase is the perfect way to celebrate our 25th year of traveling the world.”

Players, coaches, cheerleaders and families will attend the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which sees Navy take on the University of Notre Dame at the Aviva Stadium the following day, according to a press release.

The Saints know what it takes to win overseas, having beaten Father Judge of Philadelphia 20-6 in 2012 at Pairc Tailteann in County Meath. Head coach George Prelock was the program’s junior varsity coach in 2012 so did not travel with the team.

This past 2019 season, his Saints posted an impressive 11-2 record, winning two playoff games. Notre Dame Prep won Arizona 4A-II state championships in 2007 and 2008.

“We are extremely excited for this amazing opportunity to play a talented team overseas,” Coach Prelock said in a prepared statement. “This will be a memorable experience for both schools’ communities.”

The Friars head to Dublin under new head coach Matt Battaglia, having posted a 6-5 record in 2019, which included a first round win in the Illinois High School Association playoffs. The football team travels for the first time with Global Football, though the school’s rugby squad visited Ireland in 2014.

“The Fenwick Family and I are thrilled to have this opportunity to participate in the upcoming game in Ireland against Arizona’s Notre Dame Prep,” Coach Battaglia said in a prepared statement

“I could not think of a better opportunity for our team to kick off the Fenwick FAST era than by competing overseas in a first class trip versus a first class opponent. I also want to thank the Fenwick administration and community along with Global Football for helping facilitate and putting this trip together. This is truly a special opportunity for our football family to come closer together and make special memories that will last forever.”

Global Football first hosted American football games at the 6,000-capacity Energia Park venue in 2012 when John Carroll University faced St Norbert College and Jesuit Prep from Dallas took on Loyola Academy from Chicago, with the pregame coin toss performed by then-U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney.

In 2016, local supporters packed the stands while enjoying a triple-header of games featuring six high school teams from Florida, Georgia and New Jersey, including Community School of Naples.

Donnybrook Stadium was renamed Energia Park in March 2018 and is the permanent home of the Leinster Rugby Sub-Academy and Bective Rangers and Old Wesley rugby clubs. The venue was the home of Leinster Rugby until the club moved to the RDS Arena in 2007.

The participating teams will train at the athletic facilities of University College Dublin and will experience the local culture through a series of educational tours, a release states.

Dublin will again be brought to a standstill when all teams and their cheerleaders join a city center parade on the Thursday evening before the games, which will culminate in an American-style Pep Rally in the heart of Dublin City.

Four-time Super Bowl winner and decorated U.S. Military veteran Rocky Bleier will serve as Honorary Chairman for the event. Mr. Bleier won a college football national championship at Notre Dame in 1966 and the Pittsburgh Steelers then drafted him.

He won four Super Bowl titles as a member of one of the NFL’s most legendary teams, during a professional career from 1968-80.