ALBANY, N.Y. — The University at Albany football program has announced that its annual Spring Game, which will include not only an intrasquad scrimmage but also activities for kids and an autograph session, will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at Troy High School .

The event, which is free and open to the public, gives fans the opportunity to get an early look at the 2019 Great Danes. Kids also can get autographs from coaches and student-athletes, including wide receiver Dev Holmes and safety Joe Casale, both of whom will be playing in their hometown.

“One of the things we really pride ourselves on is having our athletes out in the community, being positive members of the community and being community-service oriented,” said Greg Gattuso, UAlbany's head coach. “You're always looking for ways to enhance support for the program, and moving the Spring Game somewhere out in the community is one way to do that.”

The Spring Game marks the culmination of Spring Practice, which begins Tuesday, March 26. The Great Danes will hold 15 sessions, including an open practice at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 13.

UAlbany will be holding its first practices since concluding the 2018 season with a dramatic 25-23 victory over No. 10 Stony Brook on a last-second field goal, a victory the Great Danes will be looking to build upon this spring.

“The big thing for me, looking back, is how well we played down the stretch,” Gattuso said. “Every single game we played hard. We were a much better football team the last three weeks of the season than we were the first three weeks. We progressed.”

The Great Danes open the 2019 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 29, at Central Michigan.