Following up on reports that first leaked out Wednesday, Syracuse has officially announced a new long-term agreement to play “home” games at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
Per the 20-year deal reached between the two sides, the Orange will play a total of 10 games at the home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets between 2019 and 2038. The games will be played every other year beginning in 2019.
The opponents for those games have yet to be named.
“Our games in the New Meadowlands will provide a great opportunity for alumni in the tri-state area to attend games with family and friends and for our fans in Central New York to take family and friends to New York City for a nice weekend that includes Syracuse football,” said head coach Doug Marrone in a statement. “The New Meadowlands is a state-of-the-art facility that provides a special experience for our student-athletes. For our team to play there on a regular basis in the coming years will greatly enhance to the profile of our program and the University.”
“Syracuse University appreciates the opportunity to play at the New Meadowlands Stadium, a first-class facility that also happens to be home to many of our most loyal fans,” athletic director Dr. Daryl Gross said. “Our alumni base in the New York metropolitan area is strong. Just as our fans have followed the basketball team for many years at Madison Square Garden, we expect the same dominant orange crowd support for New York’s College Team at the New Meadowlands. As the only BCS team in the state of New York, we feel it is our responsibility to represent the state and the region to the best of our ability. Playing at the New Meadowlands allows us to showcase the Syracuse brand in the most global way while generating tremendous recruiting opportunities and resources to enhance football.”
Syracuse already has agreements in place to play for games in the Meadowlands over the next five years -- USC (2012), Penn State (2013) and Notre Dame (2014 & 2016).
The area won’t be completely unfamiliar to the Orange as they played a total of eight games at the old Meadowlands Stadium.
