NEW GAA president Jarlath Burns was part of a GAA/GPA delegation that met with the Pittsburgh Steelers this week.
Jarlath Burns, along with the delegation, which included former Antrim hurler and GPA national executive member Neil McManus, visited the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Acrisure Stadium, and were invited as special guests at the Ireland Funds Pittsburgh Gala.
“It’s actually the second Ireland Funds dinner that I have been at this week,” said Burns, who previously attended one in Washington, D.C, when speaking to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“The Pittsburgh one was extremely special because it was such an intimate gathering. You could see the link between the Steelers and the Irish community.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers were awarded rights to expand their brand and activities for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, as part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program last year.
The Steelers are owned by Art Rooney II, whose family has roots in Newry and have held a number of events in Ireland over the last year to grow their presence, including a watch party in Croke Park.
Burns, who took over as GAA Uachtarán last month, continued: “The fact that the community of Pittsburgh, many of whom come from our country and some who don’t, recognise the cause of reconciliation is the biggest cause at the moment in Ireland.
“They can see the fruits of their labour because, particularly in Northern Ireland, we are in a really good place.
“They know that the money that they have been raising down through the years has really helped many reconciliation projects, many of which I have seen as well from being in my former job, the principal of a very large school in South Armagh, right beside the border, where there would have been a lot of tension and a lot of conflict in previous years.”
The Ireland Funds, which is the American initiative to help Ireland due to the shared history between the two nations, was set up by Dan Rooney and former Irish rugby international and Heinz chief executive Sir Anthony O’Reilly to promote peace, culture and charity.
While the work of the Ireland Funds was an important component of the visit, the delegation took the time to soak in what goes on behind the scenes at one of the most successful NFL franchises in history, with six Super Bowl wins.
“They have been great partners in terms of what we are trying to do in Ireland,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II, who spent time meeting with the visitors from the GAA and GPA.
“They were interested in learning some of the things we are trying to do over here.”
“They gave us access to different aspects of the Steelers operation,” said former Armagh midfielder Burns.
“Going to their training facility was almost overwhelming when you look at how scientific the entire operation is and of course, the values of this club. It’s so important to have inclusion and commitment to the community.
“They took us on a visit to the Hall of Honor Museum at their stadium and that was absolutely superb to see. It really gives you an insight into the soul of this club and its tangible link with the community of Pittsburgh.”
Burns was also impressed by the ethos behind the club’s “The Standard is the Standard” slogan, meaning that players who pull on the black and gold are aware of what is expected of them when they play for Pittsburgh.
The Ulster championship winner said: “It gives you that little edge, that wee bit of an advantage over the other teams.
“You can see why the Steelers are such a top team, why they won all those Super Bowls, because their attention to detail and their insistence that everything has to be perfect is very commendable.”
GPA chief and former Mayo midfielder Tom Parsons seemed to take a lot from the trip in terms of player care and how a franchise of the Steelers caters to the needs of each player.
“From a players association perspective, it was a really valuable trip to share the lessons and learn from the environment that supports a culture of caring for the player,” said Parsons, who was appointed chief of the GPA in 2021, to the Steelers.
“That’s what I was really interested to know. How do the Steelers support the player and what takeaways could we bring back to Ireland? What I was really interested to learn about was the off-field stuff.”
Parsons seemed interested in how the Steelers handle a player’s transition between stages of their career, from rookies to professionals to post-NFL life and was keen to learn how to apply this to the GPA.
