TEMPE – When Arizona State hired Kenny Dillingham in 2022, he said the Sun Devils would “play anybody anywhere, any time.”
The university took him at his word and on Sept. 19, ASU will face Kansas in the inaugural Union Jack Classic at London’s Wembley Stadium. It’s a chance to start Big 12 Conference play with a winning record, not to mention extend the school’s global reach.
The “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show will precede the FS1 game and give ASU another high profile stage. The 5 p.m. BST game translates to a 9 a.m. MST kickoff in Arizona.
“Big noon kickoff in London at Wembley Stadium is a four-hour showcase of what’s going on at ASU, what’s going on within Sun Devil football and a great platform for coach (Kenny) Dillingham to talk about what we’re building here,” Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini said.
In addition to football, it gives Arizona State a chance to showcase what it has in store for building a presence in London. The university’s new campus in the city opens two days after the game.
“The fact that ASU London is on the horizon, and we can introduce ASU at a deeper level across the pond, it’s pretty exciting, and it’s nice how this has come together,” Rossini said.
This will be the first U.S. college football game played at Wembley Stadium, but it joins a long list of international games played overseas. Over the last three college football seasons, there have been three international regular season games, all played in Dublin, Ireland. ASU versus Kansas will be the second modern Big 12 overseas game after last year saw Iowa State defeat Kansas State 24–21.
Going to London is not cheap. Playing a football game there isn’t either, but Rossini and university officials see the far-reaching benefits to the game.
“We look at it as a tremendous investment, tremendous opportunity, not only for the young people in our program, but at an overall universal level,” Rossini said. “What better way to start the first class of students at ASU London than being at the game with us?”
Sparky and his pitchfork will also be making the trip across the pond in an effort to spotlight the university and share U.S. culture to the world.
“The mascot aspect of U.S. sports is really unique, and that’s a fun thing to share globally as well, all the content that will capture, you know, part of it is showcasing ASU,” Rossini said.
ASU will fly across the pond on British Airways the day after the team returns from College Station after facing Texas A&M in a Week 2 matchup. The goal is to make it feel like a normal week and maintain a football rhythm that’s as familiar as possible for the athletes and coaches.
“ It was really important to coach Dillingham that we, knowing it’s going to be different, know it’s going to be a departure from how we normally travel,” Rossini said.
Dillingham appreciates the importance of the occasion, and despite his excitement for the opportunity, he knows he has a job to do.
“I want them to experience it right when we land,” Dillingham told DAZN. “Then let’s lock back in. We’ve got to go win a football game.”
However, it won’t stop the Sun Devils and Sparky from having some fun and taking advantage of a trip overseas.
“They’re still college athletes, and experiences are what college is about,” Dillingham told DAZN. “I think this is one of the experiences they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”
Despite the main event being the game, Rossini remains grounded in what the role of a university is through the opportunities it provides.
“We’re still in a learning environment, we’re here to win a football game, but our focus is always bigger than just the sport,” he said. “It’s about preparing young people to enter the real world.”
This will be year four of Kenny ‘Dillingham’s tenure as Arizona State’s coach. He has a 22–17 record and a Big 12 championship under his belt. He would love to start the season with a conference victory after last year’s 8-5 record and sixth-place conference record was widely seen as disappointing.
With the overall success he has achieved and the goals he still has yet to accomplish, he said he remains focused on what is important through it all: the athletes.
“College is an experience in your life that you’re going to remember forever,” he told DAZN. “Hopefully, there are moments in that stadium where, 30 years from now, they can say, ‘I played there.'”
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