The Navy’s Athletic Director has accused the Irish organization that oversees American football in the country of seeking to extort funds from them before the Navy/Notre Dame game in Dublin on September 1st.
Chet Gladchuk stated that the group the Irish American Football Association (IAFA) had claimed legal oversight over the game, nicknamed the Emerald Isle Classic, that they clearly did not have.
“We’ll do what we can to appease or accommodate them to whatever the degree,” Gladchuk told the Military Times. “But we’re not going to allow them to extort unjustified resources.”
IAFA was seeking $92,000 from the academy for their role in facilitating the game.
IAFA have countered by stating that they have express recognition from the Irish government of their right to oversee American football in Ireland and that they are considering a High Court challenge.
Gladchuk stated that Navy had met the group to apply for sanctioning in 2010 and 2011 before they found out they had no jurisdiction over the game.
“Do you think we need their advice?” Gladchuk said to Navy Times. “We do that for a living here. We’ve been running football for 130 years, as has Notre Dame. We certainly don’t need a parochial association in Dublin to give us advice how to conduct a Navy-Notre Dame event.”
However IAFA see it all differently. “The whole emphasis of it was to try to create some sort of legacy from the game being there,” said IAFA spokesman Terry Lynch. “The main crux of it had to do with the development side of things for universities and flag football at the grassroots level.”
Because Navy is the home team it was their responsibility to set up all the local arrangements.
Gladchuk stated all appropriate permits for the event, have been agreed with Aviva Stadium, where the game will take place.
The game is a complete sell out with scalpers getting $1,2000 for good tickets.
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