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Irish could play in Fenway, reports say

Notre Dame could play Connecticut in Boston's Fenway Parki n two years.

The Boston Globe and The Day of New London, citing officials involved in the talks, reported that the Red Sox's stadium could be used for a 2014 football game.

It appears that the game would be part of the Irish's off-site home game series, called the Shamrock Series. Notre Dame is playing its off-site game against Miami this year in Chicago's Soldier Field.

The Irish have also played off-site games in San Antonio's Alamodome (defeating Washington State 40-14 in 2009), New York's Yankee Stadium (defeating Army 27-3 in 2010) and Washington D.C.'s FedEx Field (defeating Maryland 45-21 in 2011).

Red Sox officials said in March the team was interested in bringing football back to Fenway. The park has played host to 41 football games in its 100-year history, but none since the Boston Patriots beat the Cincinnati Bengals 33-14 in an American Football League game on Dec. 1, 1968.

Irish coach Brian Kelly said he had just heard the reports before starting his Tuesday news conference, but he would like to play in Fenway. He did have a concern about the size of the venue.

"You know me, I love FenwayPark," said Kelly, who was born in Everett, Mass., and grew up in Chelsea, Mass. "We just don't know if it is big enough. We don't want to get into that Northwestern-Illinois game (in Wrigley Field) where the end zone is not big enough.

"As long as they do the due diligence, and I know (athletic director Jack Swarbrick) is looking for great venues. … If it is on the schedule, we are going to play it. Being a Boston guy, baseball hasn't been very good there, so maybe we will bring some football."

The Journal Gazette's Assistant Sports Editor Tony Krausz covers The University of Notre Dame. Krausz, a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and a native of St. Louis, has been assistant sports editor since October 2005. Prior to joining the JG, he worked at two papers in Mississippi covering high school and college athletics.

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