Union Jack Classic Review: American College Football in London
Wembley hosted the first Union Jack Classic on September 19th, bringing college football to London for the first time as the Arizona State Sun Devils faced the Kansas Jayhawks.
If you know me, you will know that I am a huge American Football fan. Alongside my love of F1, my dad got me into the NFL, but until last Saturday, I had never actually been to an American Football game.
Flying to America to see a game has never been possible, and the London NFL games have always been rather pricey; plus, I support the Dallas Cowboys, and they haven't played in London since 2014.
However, when I saw that the Union Jack Classic was hosting a college football game here in London at Wembley, I knew I had to go. So on Saturday, my dad and I went to the Union Jack Classic and saw two Big 12 teams play a game of American Football.
And I loved it so much I needed to do a full review on here for all of you.
Review of Union Jack Classic
What is the Union Jack Classic?
The Union Jack Classic is a celebration of sport that brought two powerhouse college football teams from America to London. These teams were the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Kansas Jayhawks.
But it isn't only a football game.
The Union Jack Classic at Wembley brought a full-scale tailgate party, with music artists, food trucks, official merchandise, and even Fox's Big Noon Kick-off.
What is college football?
College football in America is essentially games of American Football played by different university teams. However, college football is split into three divisions, and then, within each division, there are multiple smaller conferences.
In Division 1, there are 10 conferences, which are: American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 10, Big 12, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, Pacific-12, Southeastern Conference, and Sun Belt Conference.
The Union Jack Classic had two teams from the Big 12, one of the Power Five conferences of Division 1.
My Thoughts on the Pre-Game Tailgate
Knowing I love the NFL, I had high hopes for the Union Jack Classic. But I never expected to love it as much as I did.
And part of that was down to the incredible atmosphere that the American fans created. As soon as my dad and I got on the tube to Wembley, we immediately spotted ASU fans, kitted out in full maroon and gold merch.
When we reached the stadium, the number of Americans for both ASU and the Jayhawks tripled. There were so many dedicated and hardcore fans of both teams that you couldn't help but feel a part of something bigger.
Along Olympic Way, there were food vendors as well as stalls of official merchandise for the Union Jack Classic, so of course, we had to purchase some merch. There wasn't any team-specific merchandise, which, when looking back, I thought was actually a good thing because, being a Brit who hasn't really watched college football before, it was nice to be able to support both ASU and the Jayhawks.
After securing our merch, we headed to the official Union Jack Classic Tailgate in Arena Square. You had to have tickets to the game in order to be let in, but once you're in, the idea is you drink, eat and enjoy the music played by various DJs, including Tech N9ne.
This was a great atmosphere, which only got better when we headed to Fox's Big Noon Kickoff, which was broadcast live from 3 pm BST for the official broadcast of the game.
Being a part of Fox's BNK was such an incredible experience. The crowd was huge and the chanting from ASU fans was so loud you couldn't help but join in. Music was also played and it was great to have the whole crowd join in singing Sweet Caroline.
It was really good seeing the official broadcasters, including Rob Stone, Brady Quinn, Mark Ingram II, Matt Leinart, and Urban Meyer. I particularly enjoyed seeing them try fish and chips.
Both ASU's and Kansas's marching bands joined the crowd and played some tunes on the drums, which got the party pumping even more.
My Thoughts on the Game
Inside Wembley, my dad and I managed to get some food before heading to our seats. We were seated in 109, row 6, which meant we actually had really good seats.
We were seated just behind one of the end zones, but we could see so much of the field from eye level and had a great view of the big screen at the other end of the stadium.
It did rain quite a bit throughout the game, and being in row 6 meant we weren't under cover; however, it was all part of the experience.
The ASU team came out of the tunnel directly to our right, so we had a fab view of the players coming out, of the team mascot Sparky, and of all the warm-ups prior to the game.
After both national anthems had been performed, it was time for kickoff and wow!
I absolutely loved watching all of the action, especially being surrounded by ASU fans and a couple of Jayhawks fans because they were cheering on their teams, chanting either 'ASU' or 'Rock Chalk Jayhawk', and it just made the atmosphere incredible.
Credit: WriteWatchWork Credit: WriteWatchWork Credit: WriteWatchWork
The game wasn't high-scoring, not compared to ASU's season opener, but it was still enjoyable to watch. When players scored a touchdown, the crowd went mental, and at one point, one fan in the section next to us started a Mexican wave, which went around the entire stadium, and everybody cheered.
The half-time show featured both universities' marching bands and their cheerleaders, as well as some music artists. There was a drumming section, which I particularly enjoyed.
When the game ended and ASU won 24-17, my dad and I decided to stay a little bit longer to watch the trophy presentation, which meant we had a great view of the players again because lots of fans had already left.
I didn't want to leave because I enjoyed it so much and I've already signed up for announcements regarding next year's Union Jack Classic.
Until next time...
Sounds like an awesome day! 🏈
Wish I could have gone with you ❤️
Maybe next time 🤭