By Jimmy English
After a monumental year of international growth for the NFL, which saw the sport gain an unprecedented influx of new fans across the Emerald Isle, the burning question is now: when, not if there will be a game in Ireland. If the recent online furore from mainstream media regarding an apparently concrete date for such a tilt is anything to go by, Irish NFL fans are absolutely chomping at the bit for a game here. A few weeks before Christmas, the Irish Examiner was one of several reputable outlets reporting that a “regular season game in Ireland was close to being confirmed.”
Now, well placed source or not, this headline was far from groundbreaking.
In fact, the NFL has been breadcrumbing us all year long.
February is when the once far flung dream of an NFL game in Ireland first really started to gain some traction. During a press conference at the Super Bowl, the vision for an expanded slate of international fixtures around the globe was unveiled, with Ireland being mooted as a distinct possibility for inclusion. Then a few months later it was revealed that the NFL were conducting a “feasibility study” to determine whether in fact our nation’s capital would be capable of hosting an international sporting event of this scale. The plot was beginning to thicken.
But what really stoked the flames and made us sit up and pay attention was Roger Goodell on two separate occasions stating that the league was actively considering Ireland for an NFL game. Each of these well timed bread crumb-esque sound bites were dropped during the 2024 International Series, sending Irish American football fans into a frenzy. The most obvious of these came in Germany in November, with the Commish commenting on “the potential of a game in the UK area, in Ireland, possibly – that’s a possibility.”
From a mere notion to seemingly locked in place is quite an escalation in a 12 month period, but it seems that the NFL brass are eager to cash in on the burgeoning international audience.
If you think about it for a second, an NFL game in Ireland has been one of the worst kept secrets ever. Each of the strategically dropped hints has been part of a masterfully orchestrated kite flying exercise. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this has actually been in the works for years, and all they were playing at was testing the waters and whetting the appetites of NFL fans in Ireland.
The only thing holding up proceedings now is a lack of a government to stamp the rubber. Once the new Dail convenes in January, it’s expected to be a mere formality for Ireland’s first regular season NFL game to be confirmed for 2025.
So when indeed this game is finally announced, what teams can we expect to see lining out on the hallowed turf of Croke Park? Well, we know this much. The Pittsburgh Steelers will definitely be taking part. The Steelers have spent the past two years carefully curating a fanbase in their ancestral home, combining youth flag football camps, sold out watch parties and localised social media channels to solidify themselves as Ireland’s team. Even team Chairman Art Rooney got in on the act, suggesting back in August that his franchise could be in line for an international slot in 2025.
“We’re kind of due for that and we are expecting it could be in Mexico or Ireland.”
Another interesting little breadcrumb.
Their opponents however, are still to be determined. Several names have been floated around, but considering the Jets and Jaguars both own the international rights to the Irish and UK market, it’s likely to be one of those two.
And to be honest, I don’t really think it matters who they play. As long as we finally get a game.
Source: Gaelic Gridiron