Breaking news on Sports Illustrated overnight confirmed that when an Taoiseach Enda Kenny announces ‘a major international sports tourism event’ in Dublin later today that it will be the hosting of American Football’s College game between Boston College and Georgia Tech at the Aviva Stadium on September 3rd, 2016.
This is great news for the city’s hotels, restaurants, bars and shops with anywhere from 15-35,000 fans being forecast to travel from the US and across Europe.
It will be greeted though with mixed feelings across the city at Croke Park who withdrew their bid to host the game in April over lack of Government agency support to promote the game effectively and reduce the up front financial burden and risk of bringing the game to Ireland.
Read our thoughts on the loss of the game to Croke Park
This will be the third match within the NCAA roster to be staged in Dublin in four years following the Notre Dame Navy game that was billed as a curtain raiser for the Gathering in 2012 and the game between Penn State and UCF that took place at Croke Park last year.
That was to have been a marker for positioning Dublin, and GAA Headquarters in particular as the European home for US College Football in the long term.
Ironically that idea may yet come to fruition. If the game had been lost altogether to Ireland next year it is unlikely the NCAA teams would have considered a return any time soon.
US Authorities will worry less about whether it is Dublin 1 or Dublin 4 that hosts the game so long as Dublin hosts it well, which it will, and the game is broadcast live on ESPN, albeit with a 0730 Eastern start time.
With a rising economic sense of wellbeing, and continued strong US investment in Ireland, it may well be that 2018 and beyond will see a return to Croke Park and its larger still capacity.
It will be interesting to see how the Aviva Stadium game is to be funded as the US teams do not travel light.
Sport for Business understands that Discover Ireland will be a major partner and that an international airline has been in discussion around support as well. In 2012 there was funding from private philanthropist Fergal Naughton but that was based on connections to Notre Dame.
It promises to be ‘one hell of a weekend’ as our American Cousins might put it with the All Ireland Hurling Final taking place at Croke Park the following day.
We will bring you all the news from the launch later in the day.
