LONDON - For a lot of ASU London students, Saturday at Wembley Stadium will be less about knowing every wrinkle of college football and more about stepping into a brand-new kind of American game-day experience.
That includes third-year student Akosua Otchere, who admitted she didn’t quite know what she was signing up for when she claimed her ticket for the Union Jack Classic. At first, she thought it might be a soccer match, which made sense in a country where football means something different. But the scene waiting for her is all college football: tailgates, marching bands, mascots and a student section built specifically for ASU London’s 320 students.
Arizona State and Kansas will meet in a Big 12 game Saturday at 9 a.m. MST, and the university is giving free tickets to ASU London students so they can sit together in a one-of-a-kind section at the neutral-site international event.
“I’m ready to watch the game. I’m sure it’ll be fun,” Otchere said.
“I know that there’s running and that there’s a ball that looks like a rugby ball, but it’s not an actual rugby ball. It’s going to be cool, a nice cultural shift.”
For Otchere, who came over as a carry-over student from the Arizona State co-founded TEDI-London program now part of the newly created ASU London school, the game will also be her first real encounter with Sun Devil culture. She had never seen Sparky before and said she nearly fell out of her chair laughing when the mascot appeared.
“I don’t really know what to expect because I haven’t thought about America a lot,” Otchere said.
Second-year student Meralou Verde is in a similar boat when it comes to football knowledge. Most of what she knows has come through American movies, but she’s looking forward to the atmosphere anyway.
“I’m actually excited for the marching band,” Verde said. “I guess I’ll figure it (the rules) out as I go. I’ll do a quick Google search.”
If some of the students need help getting up to speed, first-year student Shelby Connell is ready to take on that job. The Scottsdale Chaparral High School graduate grew up going to ASU football games from the time she was 3, and she packed plenty of maroon and gold before heading overseas to school.
Connell said her suitcase was loaded with gear to help turn classmates into proper Sun Devil fans, including face tattoos, beads and multiple shirts. She also plans to explain the chants and traditions, including the forks-up hand sign.
“I brought a full suitcase full of stuff,” Connell said. “I have all the merch, face tattoos, beads and we’ve got multiple shirts, so we’re merching everyone up.”
The harder part will be teaching the game itself. Many of the students may not be brand-new to American football, but college football is a different animal, and Connell knows the student section will need some guidance once the action starts.
“We’ll have to hype everybody up and be like, ‘Come on, scream! This is when you scream,’” Connell said.
Some of ASU London’s students have watched the NFL before, but for many of them, this will be their first real taste of the college game. Gustavo Alves, who grew up in Brazil, said his interest in pro football started after watching an NFL game a few years ago at MetLife Stadium with his dad, a big fan of professional football.
Alves came away impressed by how deeply American fans invest in their teams.
“Back in Brazil, we have our teams that we support, but it’s not that deep,” Alves said. “You guys are like, ‘If I’m born here, I’m going to support this college.
I’m going to support this football team, this basketball team.’ I think that’s great.
I love that.”
Graduate student Melih Civici is also eager to experience college football in person. He knows Wembley won’t look exactly like the massive scenes he’s seen online, whether that’s the 100,000-plus gold crowd at Michigan’s Big House or a sold-out night game in LSU’s Tiger Stadium, but he still sees it as a special chance to feel the sport’s energy firsthand.
“The energy is so different from a normal (English) football game,” Civici said. “When I see the videos, it’s totally different. And seeing them and being able to go to it in person now is like a really cool opportunity.
“I can feel the energy before the game. So many people are so excited.”
James Wood, a Brophy College Preparatory graduate, will be part of the push to make Wembley feel like a real student section. With ASU London’s small size, he knows the group will have to bring its own noise and energy.
“I think we’re going to have to bring the student section to Wembley,” Wood said. “I don’t know if there’s going to be a lot of people, but we’re going to have a lot of passion, so that’s what’s important.”
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