The 2019 Navy Home Tailgate Plan
by Gino Marchetti '70

USNA Class of 1970 Tailgating Profile: The United States Naval Academy Class of 1970 consists of graduates, former members of the Class, honorary members, their spouses, relatives and guests. The Class numbers about 775 individuals, with about 40-80 classmates/tailgate (including spouses, significant others and guests) expected to attend home games, plus approximately 10-12 midshipmen from the Class of 2020.

Scope: The scope of this plan includes the resources to facilitate tailgating at 6 regular home games in Annapolis. These resources include physical space (Spot #44), tent set-up and rental expenses for each regular home game, and food costs for the Classes of 1970 and 2020 guests (ALITC).

The 2019 Army - Navy Tailgate in Philadelphia, PA: The formal Army-Navy tailgate was discontinued in 2018, however, an RV was sponsored by the Class for those who were able to attend last year’s game. If there is sufficient interest in attending THE game this year, a plan will be developed to facilitate those who attend.

Summary of the Tailgate Schedule and Menus: The table below provides details for each Annapolis home game.

Date Opponent Location Time Type Menu*
31 Aug 2019 vs. Holy Cross Annapolis, MD 1530 Potluck Subs/Hoagies/Sandwiches
14 Sep 2019 vs. ECU Annapolis, MD 1530 Potluck Burgers & Dogs
05 Oct 2019 vs. Air Force Annapolis, MD 1530 Potluck Backfield BBQ
19 Oct 2019 vs. USF Annapolis, MD 1530 Potluck Brats and Beer
26 Oct 2019 vs. Tulane Annapolis, MD 1530 Potluck Tacos/Taco Salad
23 Nov 2019 vs. SMU Annapolis, MD 1530 Potluck Eastern Shore Soups
TBD AAC Championship TBD TBA TBD TBD
14 Dec 2019 vs. Army Philadelphia, PA 1500 BYO TBD
* Notional Menu          

Tailgate Location: All home game tailgates will be held at Spot 44 on the southwest side of the stadium. See the Tailgate Map Showing Spot 44 for the specific location. The NAAA charges a flat fee of $1,200 for the season to reserve this spot, which defrays their costs for clean-up and sanitation. This amount has been approved by the Class Officers and already paid to the NAAA for 2019.

Pot Luck: Pot-luck is currently the preferred method for tailgating. We use the pot-luck approach for cost and quality reasons. The main menu is selected, and communicated to the tailgate email distribution list. Classmates and guests are expected to bring dishes for themselves and two other couples that complement the menu. Additional dishes include a variety of appetizers, sides, refreshments, hors d’oeuvres, water and desserts.

ALITC: We anticipate hosting 10-12 midshipmen from the Class of 2020 at each home tailgate. We defray feeding costs for those midshipmen in attendance, regardless of food source.

Tent: It was proposed and approved by the Class Officers to contract with Select Event Rentals (SER) for a 20' X 30' tent to be set-up and taken down for each home game. SER is the sole source for game day tent rentals through the NAAA. The total cost for tent rental for the season is $4,120, or an average of $683.33 per game, including setup and take down (for all 6 home games). The terms of the lease agreement call for upfront payment, which will be paid from the USNA '70 Checking Account via the USNAAA.

Costs: Costs for the location space and the tent rental are recovered by charging tailgate attendees on a per capita basis as described in the cost and recovery tables below.

Cost Summary Table for 2018 Tailgating Plan

Cost Element Amount Remarks
Tailgate Location Spot 44 $1,200 To Be Paid to the NAAA
Tent Costs for 6 Home Games $4,120 To Be Paid to SER
Class of 2020 ALITC Costs $720 Estimate 12 Midshipmen for 6 games at $10pp
Total 2019 Cost $6,040

Cost Recovery Table for 2019 Tailgating Plan

Tailgate Cost Recovery Charge Amount
Season Cost per Person $120
Season Cost per Couple $240
Cost per Person per Game $25
Cost per Couple per Game $50

Updated: August 28, 2019
Curator: Ed Moore