Often referred to as the small college version of the Army-Navy Game, the Secretaries’ Cup is an annual matchup between the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Both institutions own the distinction of being the only two federal service academies competing in NCAA Division III athletics.

The rivalry was designated as the “Secretary’s Cup” in 1981, when both academies were under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation. The name of the contest was pluralized when the U.S. Coast Guard moved to the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.

The two campuses are at opposite ends of Long Island Sound. Historically, the game alternated between the Coast Guard’s Cadet Memorial Field in New London, Connecticut, and the Merchant Marine’s Captain Tomb Field in Kings Point, New York just east of New York City.

Last year marked a new historic chapter in the Secretaries Cup with the game being played at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

The game had been played on the last Saturday of the Division III football regular season (generally mid-November) from 1991 through 2005. When the Coast Guard Academy joined the New England Football Conference in 2006, the rivalry became a non-conference game and was moved to September. In 2017, the game moved back to November when the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) began sponsoring football with both teams as conference members.

The games have been broadcast on the ESPN family of networks since 2017.