SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After a successful weekend in St. Louis for last year’s first Citi Shamrock Classic, the marquee event is back. This time, the Irish are headed to the nation’s capital.
On Tuesday, Notre Dame — in conjunction with Citi, NBC Sports and Notre Dame Global Partnerships — announced the Irish will play Illinois on Nov. 18 in Washington D.C., as part of the second Citi Shamrock Classic (CSC). The game will tip off at Entertainment & Sports Arena, which is the home of the Washington Mystics, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.
“We are so excited to participate in the second annual Citi Shamrock Classic after last year’s great success,” said Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey. “Washington D.C. was and continues to be the starting point of so many initiatives promoting equality across our country. There is no better place to play a game like this — one that is bigger than basketball — and we cannot wait to face Illinois in another historic matchup on NBC and Peacock.”
The CSC is a nationally presented game that serves to elevate, educate and spotlight women. In addition to the game and like last year, the weekend will feature a women’s leadership luncheon focused on the intersection of women in athletics and business. Additionally, both teams will participate in a community service initiative presented by Gatorade. This year’s details have yet to be released, but last year’s game against California featured lunch keynote speaker Jackie Joyner-Kersee and a trip to the local Boys & Girls Club.
Washington D.C., is a fitting location for this year’s CSC given we are just a year past the 50th anniversary of the passing of Title IX. The federal law passed by Congress and signed on June 23, 1972 by President Richard Nixon fostered a surge in female participation in sports and paved the way for greater equality on the playing field and in the classroom.
“We’re proud to team up with Notre Dame Global Partnerships and NBC for another groundbreaking basketball event,” said Tina Davis, Interim Chief Marketing Officer of Citi. “Gender equality is a key pillar of Citi’s sports sponsorships, and we want to help ensure women and girls have equal opportunities to showcase their talents. We hope events like this help put women’s sports in front of a broader audience.”
Last year’s game was the first-ever women’s basketball game on NBC, and this year’s audience figures to be even larger. The Nov. 18 game will also lead into Notre Dame football’s home date with Wake Forest at 3:30 p.m.
“We’re looking forward to presenting the Citi Shamrock Classic for a second consecutive year and continuing to showcase the Notre Dame women’s basketball program and the excitement of women’s sports to a national audience on NBC and Peacock,” said Gary Quinn, Vice President, Programming, NBC Sports. “With Notre Dame football’s final home game of the season later that day on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports will present a must-see day for Notre Dame fans across the country.”
Game tickets for the Citi Shamrock Classic will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, September 28th on this website with a presale available for Citi cardmembers https://eventsdc.com/events/citi-shamrock-classic
Notre Dame used to frequent the Nation’s Capital during its BIG EAST days, but the Irish have not been back to Washington since January 2012 prior to joining the ACC. Notre Dame is 1-4 all-time against Illinois, with the last meeting having been in 1999.