Notre Dame Football: New Cleats a Perfect Way to Embrace Game in Ireland

Notre Dame football will make the long trek to Dublin, Ireland, to play their season opener against Navy, and they have the perfect cleat to celebrate the occasion. 

Their cleats, designed by Adidas, are made to look like Ireland's flag. The picture used here was posted on the Twitter account for Notre Dame's equipment staff.

These cleats look more like a soccer shoe than football, but isn't that appropriate for a game in Ireland at a stadium—the new Aviva Stadium—that will host far more rugby and soccer games than American football? 

We are in an age where teams often adopt changes to their uniforms for any reason at all. Shoot, Oregon seems to feel its next game is reason enough to come up with a wacky new uniform. 

In fact, Notre Dame itself  joined the party last year by showcasing several different helmets. This constant change in uniform takes away the impact they can make. It becomes expected and can lead to some absurd changes. 

However, there is a good reason for Notre Dame to break out something different. This is a game against its longtime football rival in the country that is home to their Fighting Irish nickname. 

This isn't the Irish's first game in Ireland. In 1996, they beat Navy 54-27 in a game played at Croke Park. 

This game is not only a fun opportunity for the players, but it is a nice event for Ireland, which is struggling with recession. 

There is no word if the rest of their uniforms will have any Irish-inspired changes, but these cleats are definitely a nice tribute.