How to Enjoy a Notre Dame Football Game

Notre Dame's is a storied football program, boasting such legendary figures as Knute Rockne, The Four Horsemen, Ara Parseghian, Tim Brown, and Lou Holtz. Every year, thousands of football fans flock to Notre Dame Stadium, "The House That Rockne Built," to take in a game and the mystique of its campus. If you are headed to a game in South Bend for the first time, there are some things you should know that will make your experience more enjoyable.

Things You'll Need

  • Credit card
  • Patience in large crowds
  • Your best cheering voice
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Instructions

    • 1

      Check the seat location of your tickets before buying. If you are buying them from the ticket office, it is merely an issue of the best view (though there are no really bad views). If you are buying from an individual, however, you may want to check to see if the seats are in the student section, in the vicinity of sections 31-34. The students stand for the entire game. If you can't handle that, you may want to steer clear of that area.

    • 2

      Book your hotel as soon as possible if you want to stay in South Bend. It is a small city, and hotels hit capacity incredibly fast once football tickets are distributed.

    • 3

      Keep an eye on the weather. Football season in northern Indiana can mean full sun and blistering heat all the way to sub-zero temperatures. If you are headed to a late October or November game, pack every manner of winter clothes imaginable, and be ready to wear them.

    • 4

      Get to campus early and spend some time soaking in the excitement that is football Saturday. Have a brat for breakfast, courtesy of one of the many student organizations peddling the sausages on the quads. Watch the band step off at the Dome. It's a fairly short parade to the stadium, but it is an exciting one.

    • 5

      Play along. Once inside the stadium, Domers have a multitude of traditions, from the kick-off cheer, to the 1812 Overture to end the third quarter (hand signals contingent upon the head coach at the time), to the entire stadium falling silent during the safety announcement in the fourth quarter. You do not necessarily need to join in, but if you think it's all just silly, best to keep it to yourself until you are safely out of the stadium.

    • 6

      Take home a memento. If you are a fan, or even if you just want something to remember your trip, make sure to visit the magnificent Hammes Notre Dame bookstore, located on the South end of campus. It is the one and only Notre Dame bookstore, so everyone in the stadium will also be there at some point between Friday and Sunday. Plan to deal with crowds and probably wait in line a while. Relax.