The dream for DePaul senior Riley Halligan is coming true. When he set out in spring of 2013, he envisioned students banding together to form a club football team and eventually see action on the field.

That action is coming.

DePaul Club Football announced Wednesday an eight-game schedule against other club football teams across the Midwest for the fall of 2014. DePaul will officially join the National Club Football Association and play seven other teams.

“It’s a really good schedule,” Halligan said. “There’s a lot of tough, competitive teams and we scheduled it that way. We didn’t want to come in to the league and play weak teams. We wanted to play teams that are proven. We’re ready.”

DePaul’s season debuts Sept. 27 against Loyola. The year spans through Nov. 22, ending against a team to be announced.

The Loyola matchup, however, is what the team is calling “the Redline Rivalry.” Head coach Carlos Jones, who was an assistant on Loyola’s club football team before becoming DePaul’s head coach, said he and his team are looking forward to that matchup the most.

“With the rivalry of Loyola, it’s going to be huge opening the season,” Jones said. “It should get both schools involved with students being so close. It’s going to be good. Everyone should start taking notice that it’s for real.”

Jones added that he expects his team to win.

“When we’re a new team in our inaugural season, every team is going to be a tough out,” Jones said. “But with enough work, effort and energy, there’s no reason why we can’t compete right out of the gate.”

With their season scheduled, DePaul Club Football still needs to find a place to call their homefield. Ideally, Halligan said, DePaul wants to secure Wish Field. Halligan was unsure how the fall schedule of Division 1 sports would clash with the team’s schedule. If they aren’t available, the team hopes to schedule games in the suburbs.