Sparky taking trip across pond ahead of ASU football game in London, new institution opening

TEMPE — It’s going to be a big fall in England for Arizona State University, as it will take part in London’s first college football game before opening a new institution on the foreign soil.

ASU football faces Kansas in the Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium on Sept. 19, the third game of the Sun Devils’ regular-season slate and one that will count in the Big 12 standings.

“It lets us launch that iteration and that opportunity at such a high level and bring exposure when you’ve got a worldwide audience,” ASU athletic director Graham Rossini said Friday. “Certainly all eyes in the states at the 9 a.m. (MST) kick will be on the game that we play.

“And then weaving into the whole week — but certainly the game broadcast — the fact that ASU London opens officially on (the following) Monday.”

To celebrate, mascot Sparky is headed across the pond as requested by the British Consulate.

His trip, which aligns with British Airways making its first trip to Phoenix 80 years ago on July 1, will help promote both the game and the new school, as the mascot sightsees across the iconic European city.

His stops will include Buckingham Palace, the British Museum of History and Big Ben, as well as a Philadelphia-themed pub called Passyunk Avenue that visiting ASU fans are encouraged to invade. He’ll use the London Tube to get around, potentially giving commuters a unique first-time sight.

Sparky will tie everything together with an educational video meant to help visiting Sun Devils get their passports and other logistics in order ahead of the trip.

ASU London opening its doors to students in 2026

The matchup on the pitch will come shortly before ASU London opens the classrooms to students for the first time this fall.

“The timing was 100% coincidental that we happen to open ASU London two days after the Union Jack Classic, but we’re going to lean in and use every bit of it,” Rossini said. “Excited for Sparky to be packed up, passport ready and get on the British Airways plane on Sunday.”

ASU London is a United Kingdom-accredited institution for higher education, where students can earn two international degrees in four years: a U.K. bachelor’s degree over three years while studying in England before they may earn a one-year master’s degree at ASU in the U.S.

Rossini said the first crop of the students will ring in the semester by attending the game the weekend before their classes begin.

Located on the University of London’s campus, some of the programs it will offer include computer science, engineering and business.

Its opening comes after ASU in 2020 co-created The Engineering & Design Institute – London, which will now call the campus home.

“For the global audience to understand what ASU is capable of, the fact that we can be relevant with U.K.-accredited degrees and the chance for students to then come to the states and earn a master’s degree, can’t ask for a better showcase than what this game is going to provide,” Rossini said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Shira Tanzer contributed to this story.

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