Sport

NFL boss confirms that potential game in Dublin is being looked into by the league

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the update before the NFL international game in Munich between the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers

The Oasis reunion gigs are being staged at Dublin’s Croke Park
The NFL could be coming to GAA HQ as soon as next year (Damien Eagers/PA)
By Liam Grimley

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has remained quietly optimistic about the prospect of playing an NFL game in Ireland over recent months.

The topic has been one that is repeatedly brought up by pundits in the States, the UK and at home in Ireland itself.

Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced an official marketing deal in Ireland to solidify their already close familial ties with the island.

Other teams, namely the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets, have seen fit to expand their reach to the island of Ireland, with the sport’s fanbase growing here every year.

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a welcome return to Croke Park today, where they played in the first ever NFL game in Ireland in 1997. The Steelers plan to grow their fanbase and the game of American Football in Ireland as part of the NFL’s ‘Global Markets Program’. Pictured is former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart who played in 1997, with, from left, Dublin GAA legend and NFL fan Hannah Tyrrell, Pittsburgh Steelers Director of Business Development & Strategy Daniel Rooney and Kerry All-Ireland winner and Steelers fan Paudie Clifford. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
The Steelers are growing their fanbase and the game of American Football in Ireland as part of the NFL’s ‘Global Markets Program’. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers held a watch-along party at Croke Park in Dublin, the only stadium that would meet the standards for an NFL game, and there have been feasibility tests by the league to look into the possibility.

During a Q&A in London, Goodell said the NFL would “no doubt” be playing in Ireland, but was tight-lipped on the timescale.

During the build-up to last weekend’s Giants-Panthers game in Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena, the New York businessman teased the fixture yet again.

“We’re also looking at the potential of another game...in Ireland,” said Goodell, when listing off the international games the league was hoping to play next year.

He added: “It’s a possibility.”

The other countries that will host NFL games next are the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Spain.