Yankee Stadium to host Ireland

It looks like Irish football is heading for a whole different ballpark, with confirmation expected next week that a friendly against Spain in New York in May will take place at Yankee Stadium.

The home of the famous New York Yankees baseball team, it opened in 2009 as a replacement for the original Yankee Stadium and incorporates many of the design elements of its historic predecessor. Located in the Bronx, the stadium has a capacity of just over 50,000 and last year hosted its first football match — a 1-1 draw in July between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain — followed by a game in August between AC Milan and Real Madrid, which saw the latter win 5-1 in front of a crowd of nearly 49,500.

Although it was originally suggested Ireland would play two games on their summer trip to the United States, it has now emerged there will only be one match, when the Irish face the Spanish in New York on June 11.