By Emma Robinson,Last Word On Sports

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American Football’s First Footsteps in Croke Park

While September’s clash will be the first NFL regular season game on Irish soil, it will not be the first time Croke Park has hosted American football. The ground has staged two major college football matchups that helped pave the way for the NFL’s arrival.

In 1996, Croke Park welcomed over 38,000 fans for a meeting between Notre Dame and Navy, a fixture steeped in tradition. For many Irish fans, it was their first live taste of American football, with the Fighting Irish’s name and heritage adding an extra layer of resonance.

Eighteen years later, in 2014, the stadium again became a transatlantic stage when Penn State faced UCF. The game drew more than 53,000 spectators and showcased not only the sport’s growth in popularity but also Ireland’s capacity to stage a world-class football event.

These games were early signals that Dublin could be more than a novelty host for gridiron. Each left behind memories, atmosphere, and lessons that the NFL now builds upon. In many ways, the Steelers and Vikings will be completing a journey that began nearly three decades ago, when college football first brought American pageantry to Croke Park.

Steelers’ Irish Roots Come Home

Few franchises are more suited to headline this moment than the Steelers. The Rooney family, who have owned the team since its founding, trace their lineage to County Down. That connection has been celebrated in Pittsburgh for decades. Now it has a physical stage.

Dan Rooney, the team’s Director of Business Development, has been forthright about the ambition:

Daniel Martin Rooney, grandson of Art Rooney Sr., put it even more personally:

For Pittsburgh, this is not a branding exercise. It is family roots written across the turf of Croke Park.

Ireland’s €10 Million Gamble

The Irish government has invested €10 million ($10.8m) to bring the game to Dublin, confident of a significant return. Officials project an €80 million ($86m) boost through tourism, hospitality, and wider spending.

Patrick O’Donovan, Minister for Arts, Culture, Communications, Media and Sport, defended the outlay:

Henry Hodgson, the NFL’s General Manager for the UK and Ireland, highlighted the broader impact:

Demand already suggests the gamble will pay off. More than 600,000 fans registered for tickets, dwarfing the stadium’s adjusted capacity.

Virgin Media Opens the Door

If Croke Park is the headline act, television is the legacy. In September, the NFL announced a landmark deal with Virgin Media Television, making them the first free-to-air NFL broadcaster in Ireland.

The partnership covers ten games this season, including all six European fixtures, three playoff matchups, and Super Bowl LX.

Laura Louisy, the NFL’s Director of International Business Development, described it as a milestone:

Mick McCaffrey, Virgin Media’s Director of News and Sports, said:

For decades, the NFL in Ireland was tucked behind paywalls. This is different. This is access, the first step to making the sport mainstream.