Belfast Lord Mayor welcomes US ice hockey teams for countdown to Friendship Four

With both individual game tickets and four-game weekend passes already on sale, the University of Notre Dame, Harvard University, Boston University, and Merrimack College will compete for the coveted Belpot Trophy at The SSE Arena, Belfast on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 November.

Founded by The Odyssey Trust and held in Belfast since 2015, the Friendship Four is the first and only National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One men’s ice hockey tournament to take place outside of North America, with 24 games played across six tournaments to date.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, said: “It’s great to meet with US athletic officials and commissioners in Belfast today as they finalise plans for the upcoming Friendship Four ice hockey tournament at The SSE Arena In November.

“It’s always an exciting time for the city as we welcome friends, colleagues, and visitors from our Sister City, Boston, and beyond around Thanksgiving.

“The Friendship Four provides the opportunity to promote the city as a welcoming visitor destination, explore further ways to enhance our Sister City connections and promote the city through the international media and social media coverage this tournament generates.”

He continued: “We’re really looking forward to seeing Harvard University, Boston University, Merrimack College, and the University of Notre Dame compete in this year’s Friendship Four and these next few days are pivotal in ensuring the players, coaches, and athletic staff all have the best possible time during their stay in Belfast.

“The Friendship Four is a super opportunity for people to enjoy high calibre live college ice hockey, and I look forward to seeing huge crowds at The SSE Arena, giving a warm Belfast welcome to our travelling teams.”

The high-profile four-game ice hockey tournament is designed to promote education, social welfare, and community interaction, building on the Sister City agreement between Belfast and Boston, which was signed a decade ago.

The Sister Cities agreement aims to foster stronger economic development, trade and investment, tourism, youth, cultural, faith-based exchanges, and educational linkages between the two cities, as well as increased awareness of Belfast and Boston being high-growth cities in the connected health and life sciences, creative industries, tourism, financial services, and knowledge economy sectors.

Robert Fitzpatrick, chief executive officer of The Odyssey Trust, said: “Ahead of what is shaping up to be the biggest tournament to date, we are proud to welcome representatives from the competing schools to Belfast.

“For nearly 10 years, the Friendship Four has been underpinned by a desire to provide unique and memorable experiences for North American student-athletes, both on and off the ice, and to offer them not just the opportunity to play ice hockey but to have a rounded, cultural experience right here in Belfast, so being only two months away from the return of the tournament is very exciting.”

For local ice hockey and sports fans alike, the unique tournament provides a rare opportunity to see four top US college teams go head-to-head at the home of the Belfast Giants.

With a reputation for providing a pipeline of top talent into the National Hockey League (NHL), and other top teams around the world, NCAA ice hockey is known and loved for its high energy and fast pace, which is sure to impress and entertain local spectators.

Historically, the tournament has also proven to be a strong scouting opportunity for the Stena Line Belfast Giants.

Current members of the 2024/25 roster, Jeff Baum, Scott Conway, and Bobo Carpenter first took to the ice at The SSE Arena during the Friendship Four tournament before beginning their professional ice hockey careers.

Individual tickets and weekend passes for all four games are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, please click on https://www.ticketmaster.ie/friendship-four-tickets/artist/5230153.