The Irish appetite for the first regular season game in the NFL was anticipated to be high, and so it proved yesterday.

Tickets went on General Sale at noon, after a short pre-sale window, and those in the waiting room were promised a random entry to the queuing system.

When the clock ticked over, you could feel the country groaning as the number in the queue went north of 600,000, waiting for tickets to a Croke Park with a capacity of 76,000 to account for seating being installed on Hill 16 and the Nally Stand end of the ground.

Ticketmaster runs the international sales across all the NFL games in London, Berlin and Madrid this year, as well as in Dublin. However, while London’s three games sold out quickly, Berlin still has availability in more expensive areas, and Madrid is yet to go on sale. In contrast, Dublin has lit up the fan base like no other.

We are a popular destination for overseas visitors, and they will be coming from all over the world for this. We are also event junkies when it comes to big occasions, regardless of whether we have a love for or understanding of what we are watching.

But most importantly, we are universal sports fans, and this is going to be one of the most significant global sports events to land on Irish soil.

Of course, we want to be there. Of course, it was going to be a shot in the dark to succeed in a general sale. Of course, there will be 76,000 people who succeeded in getting this Golden ticket.

Part of the review process following this year’s game will be to examine both demand and logistics. There are five teams now with marketing rights in Ireland, all of whom will be planning for a game here in the years to come.

Yesterday may have been frustrating for those on the site and disappointing for most, but it did at least show 600,000+ reasons why Dublin and the NFL are a perfect match.

 

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There are still tickets available for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at the Aviva Stadium a month before the Steelers land in town.  That is where the most devoted fans of the sport will be, many of them hoping for a break to double up this year by being at Croke Park in September too.
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