Irish Festival at Patersons StadiumMonday, November 17, 2014 - 9:35 AM

Patersons Stadium will host an Irish Festival showcasing the sights, sounds and tastes of Ireland to coincide with the AFL’s International Rules Series game against Ireland on Saturday, November 22.
 
The Irish Festival, which will be held with the support of the West Australian Football Commission, Tourism WA and the AFL, will commence from 2pm and feature Irish game demonstrations, interactive AFL activities, Irish bands and dancing, an international Guinness Bar, Irish food and beverage stalls, a bouncy castle, face painting and more.
 
Entry to the festival, which is on Kitchener Park, is free for fans who hold a ticket to the International Rules match, which commences at 5.45pm.
 
The Irish Festival concept has been led by the West Australian Football Commission as part of a commitment to hosting a diverse range of events whilst providing great experiences at Patersons Stadium to cater for the broader community and provide additional content throughout the course of the year.
 
Patersons Stadium General Manager Gavin Taylor said ticket sales for the event are tracking just above 29,000, which is great result with the match still two weeks away.
 
“We believe this one-off Test against Ireland will be a great match for the fans to see live and are hopeful it will be a sell-out,” he said.
 
“This would be great result and put Patersons Stadium in a strong position to host future International Rules matches for the fans of Western Australia.”
 
Australia suffered a 2-0 defeat on last year's tour of Ireland, being comfortably beaten for the Cormac Macanallen Trophy, and totally revised its approach to this year's series with an altered series date in late November and commitment from the game's leading players to the concept.
 
The coaching panel of Alastair Clarkson, Ross Lyon, Chris Scott and Tadhg Kennelly nominated a squad comprised entirely of players who were either All Australian selections in 2014, or who had previously been an All Australian player at some point in their careers.
 
Australia and Ireland have met three times previously in Perth with Australia holding a 2-1 record, claiming victories in 2003 and 2005, before a one-point loss in 2008.

Visit the International Rules Series event page
 
Australian squad: Grant Birchall (Hawthorn), Travis Boak (Port Adelaide), Luke Bruest (Hawthorn), Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide Crows), Dustin Fletcher (Essendon), Nat Fyfe (Fremantle), Brendon Goddard (Essendon), Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide), Brent Harvey (North Melbourne), Luke Hodge (Hawthorn), Kieren Jack (Sydney Swans), Steve Johnson (Geelong Cats), Jarrad McVeigh (Sydney Swans), Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn), Leigh Montagna (St Kilda), Nic Naitanui (West Coast), Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda), Tom Rockliff (Brisbane Lions), Joel Selwood (Geelong Cats), Brodie Smith (Adelaide Crows), Nick Smith (Sydney Swans), Harry Taylor (Geelong Cats), Jobe Watson (Essendon) and Chad Wingard (Port Adelaide).