This morning was a little bit different from the norm as we sat on stage in Croke Park hosting a business breakfast in partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL.

There is a groundswell of interest in the sport we know as American Football and as a fan since a long way back in the mists of time this could not come soon enough.

From a personal point of view, this was something of a pinch-me moment as we took to our seats in front of an audience of fellow advocates for the sport and the potential it has in Ireland.

Dan Rooney is the Director of Business Development and Strategy with the Steelers and is leading from the front since the team was awarded the International Marketing Rights for the island of Ireland in 2023.

“We’re here to grow the game and grow our fanbase with the ultimate objective of playing a game and we’re excited to work with the NFL on this,” he told us.

“It is great to see the continued growth of the game and international series.”

“We know how important it is to Irish fans that Ireland is now on the NFL map and have experienced first-hand the passion for the game and excitement about the possibility of playing here again. That excitement is mutual given our ownership and close family ties with Ireland.

Henry Hodgson is the General Manager for NFL UK and Ireland and has been central to the expansion of the international series from an original four games a season to what is now eight.

Madrid and Sao Paolo are the additional cities hosting games in the next year but after that, Dublin is on the map.

“It’s not possible to put a date in the sand yet but being here with the Steelers and seeing the real excitement there is in so many different forms about the sport is great,” he said.

The NFL is rigorous in terms of the selection of cities to host Super Bowls and International Games but this is something which we are more confident than ever will happen here, and when it does it will be the greatest show we have ever seen.

Ireland is drawing even deeper into the sport with the potential for players to make it onto rosters from outside the traditional route of US High School and College. Charlie Smith from County Down is on the practice squad of the New Orleans Saints this summer and Leader Kicking is living up to its name by putting on coaching for aspiring players around the country.

The Steelers hosted their own with them at the Sport Ireland Campus yesterday and we were joined this morning by Shaun Suisham who himself transitioned from Ice Hockey in Canada to kicking a Field Goal for the Steelers in the 2011 Super Bowl.

Like his colleagues on stage, he was smooth and eloquent, it’s the way with US sport, and he was equally enamoured with the prospect of an Irish breakthrough.

“I was really impressed by the players we saw yesterday, by their natural talent and their willingness to learn. It has been a great trip and I’m already looking forward to coming back.

The message of this morning was that the Pittsburgh Steelers are open for business in relation to Ireland. Exposure to the way that US Sport acts and conducts itself is a lesson that anyone would benefit from.

It was a pleasure to be involved and it is exciting to imagine how this reach into Ireland will develop and grow.

 

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