USNA-Net Parents' Handbook

To Attend or Not...

Year after year, the most frequently asked question by parents is "Should I attend?"  The answer depends on many things but here are some of the facts you should consider...

• Plebes have only a few hours of free time following the game to interact with their parents and must ride to and from the game on the USNA buses unless they have a chit which allows them to travel with their parents.
• Area hotel accomodations and round trip air fares can be very expensive.
• The number of tickets available to parents is limited so taking a large group may not be possible.
• The weather in the East in early December is very unpredictable ranging from sunny and very warm to blizzard like conditions and single digit temps.
• This is argueably the greatest college football rivalry of all time and win or lose, you will never find a more exciting game to attend, even for those parents who know nothing about football.

Whether or not your family attends a particular A/N game is entirely up to you and your financial circumstances.  But if you can find a way to make it happen at least once during your son's or daughter's four years by the Bay, you will never regret attending.  We've never heard a parent complain that going to an Army Navy game was a bust or not worth the trouble or expense.  Quite the contrary, everyone who has ever attended has regailed everyone who will listen with tales of how great the experience was for them.  The pomp and pagentry of this sporting event is unmatched anywhere else and you should make an attempt to attend at least one, some how, some way.

For those years when you choose not to attend, you will find many local parents clubs hold club events near your home to watch the game on a large screen projection TV and cheer on Navy along with fellow parents.  It's not the same but it can still be a very fun way to spend the first Saturday in December.

Should you decide to attend, here's what you need to know...

Tickets

Each year parents are afforded the opportunity to purchase tickets to the game through their Mids.  Since tickets are sold according to a strict schedule with Season Ticket holders given preference, just about the only way for parents to obtain tickets at face value (without using scalpers or ticket brokers) is through their Mids.

There are a limited number of ways for parents to purchase A/N Tickets. Parents may purchase A/N tickets if 1.) they purchase Season Tickets to the regular season home football games;  2.) they are members of the USNA Athletic Association before the end of the previous calendar year;  3.) they are USNA Alumni in their own right or 4.) they purchase tickets through their Mid.  Parents may purchase up to four tickets through their Mid beginning on about the first of April when Alumni may also begin buying tickets.  If you want tickets, make sure that your Mid gets over to Ricketts Hall and buys them.  They must be purchased by your Mid, in person.  No phone or on-line orders are taken.

If you are a Plebe Parent, your Plebe wasn't around last April and wasn't able to purchase tickets for you.  You will be sent an order form along with your other paperwork in June before I-Day.  If you want tickets, make sure you fill out the order form and send it in as soon as possible.  You won't be given a chance to order tickets later in the year.

If you miss your window of opportunity to purchase tickets, watch our Classified Ads in last two weeks in November for members who wish to sell tickets which they won't be using.  Tickets aren't mailed from the Academy until Mid November no matter when they are ordered.

Remember too, that the Academy assigns each local Parents Club an ID Number for you to use when you order your tickets.  This is ONLY so that you will be assigned seats with other parents from your local club and this applies ONLY if you are purchasing general admission tickets.  Contact your local Parents Club to get your club's number.  The Club ID Number doesn't guarantee that you will get tickets.  You must still purchase the tickets in the usual way but the ID Number lets you sit in the same section as other parents from your area.  For a Virtual View of the stadium from your seats, you can check the Lincoln Financial Field web site.

The Stadium, The Town & The Lay of the Land...

Philadelphia is located about 1/3 of the way between Washington, D.C. and New York City.  It's about three hours North of Annapolis by car on I-95 N.  The locals take US 301 through Delaware to miss a lot of traffic but it's not a route for the timid.  Click on the Map to the left for Driving Directions between Annapolis and Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Airport is located just South and West of the central Business District across the Schuylkill River from the Stadium.  You can almost see the Stadium from the airport - It's about three miles away.

The Main City Centre is located about 3 miles North of the Stadium, straight up Broad Street.  The City's Subway runs due North from the Stadium (which is served by the Broad Street Line at the Pattison Station), right through the center of the downtown area, making subway travel to the hotels in the City Center very simple, safe and dependable.  Staying in the City Center and riding the Subway to the game is the recommended Best Choice for those not really familiar with the city.  Also, if you elect to ride the Subway, buy the return tokens in the morning.  It will save you a long wait as you return from the game later.

Hotels & Reservations

If you haven't figured it out by now, THE Game is a big deal in Philadelphia. The stadium is always sold out and local hotels generally book rooms for the weekend a full year in advance.  Make your room reservations early!

Most area hotels run Specials for Army Navy Weekend, meaning that they charge a Special rate and impose a minimum number of days stay.  Most area hotels insist that you to book two nights (Friday and Saturday nights) and offer some sort of Package rate that isn't always their best or least expensive room rate.  Be aware that you may end up paying a lot more for a room for A/N weekend than any other time of the year.

How you will arrive (drive, train or fly), may influence where you decide to stay in the area.  If you are flying into town, you may opt for one of the hotels near the airport.  If, on the other hand, you will be driving into town or coming via AMTRAK, you should stay at one of the hotels in the City Center.  To help you plan your stay, use this Interactive MAP or check out this convenient List of Area Hotels.  Just keep in mind that the Subway runs North and South under Broad Street.

Cars, Rentals and Driving

Philadelphia is a major East Coast Metropolis.  If you aren't comfortable with big city traffic, crowded freeways, short on-ramps and Rush Hour, you might be well advised to not attempt driving in Philly.  

The City of Brotherly Love is not the worst city on the East Coast in which to drive.  As a matter of fact, it might be one of the best big cities between Boston and Norfolk in which to drive but it is still big city traffic and driving practices... Busy, fast paced and daunting to the uninitiated.

Add to the everyday problems the time of year and the uncertainty of early December weather, and you could easily find yourself driving in conditions which look a lot like the picture above.  Don't forget that you will probably be driving back after the game in the dark which makes weather related problems even worse.  If you are from warm climes, please think twice about driving to the game.

Once last thought about Traffic...   Attendance at the game is over 70,000 fans.  This equates to at least 30,000 cars in the lots surrounding the stadium, all of which want to leave at the same time and all of which are probably headed back to a local hotel or restaurant at the exact same time you want to go there too.  We once encountered total grid lock in the center city, driving our own car, when it took over two hours to get into the hotel's valet parking garage which was only a few blocks away.  Not to mention that parking in town is expensive and difficult to find under the best circumstances.

While you may opt to drive to Philly for the weekend, we recommend that you use public transportation as much as possible while there for going to and from the game or dinner after the game.

And for those who don't want any of the hassles of getting there or worrying about anything, many Parents Clubs run bus tours to the game from their local areas.  Some clubs run full tour packages which include lodging, all transportation and meals, including the pregame and postgame tailgates.  Other Clubs, like the Maryland Club offer Round Trip Bus transportation on game day, leaving early in the morning from Annapolis and returning late that same night.  Contact the club officers for details.