CLICK FOR DETAILS: Ireland 2023 GIFT (Global Ireland Football Tournament) in partnership with the University of Notre Dame and the United States Naval Academy.
Why the High School Football Showcase Is Worth the Investment
With all your responsibilities, daily schedules, budgeting, student-athlete training, hiring staff, monitoring academic progress, raising funds for daily operations and major projects, recruiting future students and student-athletes, keeping parents and alumni engaged and committed, why should you add the 2023 Global Ireland Football Tournament (GIFT) to your agenda? You will be partnering with Navy and Notre Dame!
1. School Branding and Recruiting: Ireland 2023 will enable each school to further enhance its regional, national and global reputation among current students, families and alumni, thereby driving more energetic and broader participation and support. In addition, the reputation developed will assist in recruiting future students, and student-athletes, as well as parental and alumni involvement.
2. School Community: We encourage schools to invite and include not only the varsity football team, parents, families, alumni, friends, cheer and pom and dance, but also your marching band plus sports teams like field hockey, soccer, lacrosse, swimming and golf. Be sure to include local media, as well as Notre Dame and Navy fans from your community. Make this a true School Community Event!
3. Education: You work/coach in high school because you truly believe in educating your students, and every Global Football tour, especially the Ireland events, provide unique experiential education opportunities through foreign travel & competition.
4. Global Citizens: Every student will soon develop to compete in the global arena, for college admission as well as future work. They may believe it possible to ‘learn’ about other countries and cultures on their mobile devices but not really. True learning comes from experience, from personal investment in a different country and culture, with directed focus.
5. Teamwork: Every coach/school talks about this, works hard to develop it, coordinates with staff to create that. Each Global Football tour actually provides and builds teamwork opportunities ahead of, during and following the tour. The scope of Ireland 2023 will demand teamwork at the team, school and community levels.
6. Development and Fundraising: Following the 2012 Notre Dame-Navy Ireland game, Fighting Irish Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick commented how that game and ancillary events were the single best ‘development’ project they’d ever undertaken. The same can be done by our Ireland 2023 high schools, utilizing the tour events to tell your story to key supporters while there.
7. Football: The focus during practices before and while on tour, as well as actual game experience in Ireland vs another competitive US team with global media, college and fan attention, can lead to noticeable team improvement. Team leaders develop and members return more appreciative, thankful for having had this opportunity provided them by their visionary school leadership.
School leaders may want to contact-previous Ireland high school travelers: Jesuit HS, Dallas; Loyola Academy, Il.; Father Judge HS, Pa.; Notre Dame HS, Ca.; Notre Dame Prep, Az.; Hamilton HS, Az.; Kent School, Ct.; Westminster School, Ga.; Blessed Trinity, Ga.; Marist School, Ga.; Community School Naples, Fl.; St. Peter’s Prep, NJ; Belen Jesuit, Fl.; Villanova College Prep, Ontario, Canada; Oak Park HS, Canada; Cedar Cliff HS, Pa.; Penn Manor HS, Pa.; National School of American Football, UK.
JOIN: University of Notre Dame & the US Naval Academy