The Pittsburgh Steelers will host a youth camp in Belfast on June 15
National Football League (NFL) side the Pittsburgh Steelers have announced they will be hosting a free American football youth camp in Belfast in June.
Aspiring American football players between the ages of nine and 18 are being encouraged to attend the event at Deramore Park on Saturday June 15, which will see them taught skills by leading American football coaches as well as current Steelers players.
Each participant will be provided with a Pittsburgh Steelers American football youth camp t-shirt and a meal at the conclusion of the event, while there will also be a second camp held in Cork the following day.
The Steelers are one of the leading NFL organisations having won the Super Bowl on six occasions, most recently in 2008, and boast star names such as Justin Fields, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Patrick Queen and T.J. Watt.
As part of their newly signed Global Markets licence signed with the NFL, the Steelers have branched out into Ireland and Northern Ireland in recent years and held a kicking clinic with Irish player Tadhg Leader in April, with former Pittsburgh players Shaun Suisham and Jordan Berry offering real-time coaching advice.
The team has also hosted fan and football education events and a sold-out Fan Watch Party at Croke Park in Dublin last November, while there are tentative plans to bring a regular season NFL game to Ireland in the near future.
“We are excited to return to the island of Ireland for two more American football camps, this time in Belfast and Cork,” said Daniel Rooney, the Steelers’ director of business development and strategy.
“We are aiming to help grow the game of American football across the island and we’re looking forward to giving local athletes the opportunity to receive real time coaching and feedback from our current players.”