October 30, 2015
Aviva Premiership: London Irish Vs. Saracens at Red Bull Arena
Photo: Aviva Premiership Rugby – London Irish v Saracens
Doug Coil
London Irish will be the first club to play an Aviva Premiership match overseas for their Round 16 home match against Saracens at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey on Saturday 12th March 2016. Match tickets are on sale now at www.LondonIrishUSA.com.
The London Irish have not included this match in the London Irish season ticket, however, “season ticket holders will be able to enjoy 10% off match tickets for this game using a special promotional code which has been sent directly via email.
The Club are also exploring suitable London Irish supporter travel packages which will be announced on or before Monday 9th November. These packages will combine flights, airport transfers, accommodation and access to player meet and greet events and will be available with and without match tickets.”
In the Metropolitan New York area, there are many who have an Irish heritage. The Saracens also include three USA Rugby Eagles in Chris Wyles, Eagles Captain, Hayden Smith and Titi Lamositele.
Those wanting to see a preview of what to expect should view tomorrow’s Saracens v London Irish match that is at Allianz Park. Both Chris Wyles and Titi Lamositele are on the 23 match roster as reserves. They just competed in the Rugby World Cup for the United States.
In an USA Rugby article on October 26th, “Mark McCafferty, Premiership Rugby’s Chief Executive said: “This is a significant day in the history of Premiership Rugby and one that has taken a number of years and a lot of hard work to bring to fruition. Premiership Rugby is the most competitive league in world rugby with a fast-growing following outside England and we are delighted to stage a competitive match in the USA. There are ambitious plans to grow the game in the States and this is the latest stage in that strategy. I’d like to thank both London Irish for their support and vision in making this bold step as well as Saracens and our partners The Legacy Agency Inc and USA Rugby. We firmly believe this will be a great success and will showcase live Aviva Premiership Rugby to a new audience.”
“We are looking forward to bringing these two world class clubs to the New York area for what will be a memorable matchup,” said USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville, who will be advising on the match. “Our sport continues to grow in the United States, and we believe this event will be another big step forward in the growth of the game.”
London Irish boasts one of the largest global followings of any rugby club in the UK. Established in 1898, London Irish became a founding member of Aviva Premiership Rugby in 1996 and have played in England’s top division ever since. They finished as runners-up in 2008-09. Their opponent, Saracens, was founded in 1876, and is one of the longest-running sports clubs in the world. An original member of Premiership Rugby, they have won the title in 2010-11 and 2014-15 and are the current holders of the LV=Cup.”
The Legacy Agency (“TLA”), one of the world’s leading athlete representation, sports and entertainment marketing businesses, will be promoting this event. They also promoted the sold out New Zealand All Blacks vs the USA Eagles match at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2014.
