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ily history there, but also to play in front of t
he growing number of Steelers fans in Ireland. We are thrilled to be part of this historic event to represent Pittsburgh in a game that brings the NFL to the great sports fans in Ireland.” Although it’s phenomenal exposure for the game of American football itself to be recognized in Ireland with an NFL game, the world’s premier American football league, it’s also an incredible outlet for AFI coaches and players to find new potential recruits. Although fan attendance has continued to grow, the opportunity for AFI teams to pitch the game in front of tens of thousands of people, all of whom will be at Croke Park for an American football game itself, is as phenomenal an opportunity as AFI could ask for. Daithi Hosford, the head coach of the Rhinos, thinks it’s a chance he and the rest of the club need to take advantage of. When speaking on potential coaching and player clinics and things of that nature in the future, I asked Hosford if he thinks an NFL game in Dublin puts them at a bigger advantage to do that. “Yes 100%,” Hosford said. “Yeah, it does, like we’ve seen it this year. If you only have to look at our jersey to see the amount of sponsors we have on it, because we’re starting to get more companies that want to come and help us out, that want to be attached to football. They see the growth potential in the game and they want to come and be attached to it… More sponsors means more money, means better equipment. We’re at the end of a life cycle of our equipment that we’re looking to change up. But again, the more money that’s there, the easier that becomes, so the easier and better equipment you have, the more you get people to stay, because we have seen people come along. It’s an expensive sport to play. Helmets, pads, girdies, boots, the whole line, you’re talking about eight or nine hundred quid before you seven start the game, and having the sponsor’s side to help with that, it’s just outrageous.” “More sponsors means more money, means better equipment.” Those involved with AFI right now want to be the pioneers of what they hope to be the long-term growth of American football in Ireland. As they continue to stress the youth to come out and play, mixed with the NFL and college football games played here annually, the exposure is there, and now it just takes resources to really elevate the sport here and put lads around it in the best position to succeed. In addition to the NFL game coming to Dublin next season, college football in America also helps to expose the sport in Ireland with the annual Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which began in 1988. In 2025, Kansas State University will face off against Iowa State University at Aviva Stadium on August 23rd. The 2026 and 2027 fixtures have also been announced. In 2026, Texas Christian University will play the University of North Carolina on August 29th, and in 2027 the University of Pittsburgh will go up against the University of Wisconsin on August 28th. With all of these efforts to get eyes on American football in Ireland, it seems inevitable that eventually the sport will become a mainstay throughout the nation. Although the GAA still dominates, both Gaelic football and hurling provide a pathway to American football with its similar rules and intense style of play. Interestingly, many of the members of the West Dublin Rhinos had a history with GAA games, and American football practically fell into their laps. For some, all it took was a little real-life exposure to the game after watching it and seeing it on television for years. Once they got to play it first-hand, they caught the bug. “So, obviously I played rugby and Gaelic growing up, but I have first cousins in Boston as every Irish person does, and they were obviously big [New England] Patriots fans,” McVeigh said. “They got us into Madden. My brother, at the time, it was all, ‘the [Indianapolis] Colts are pretty good.’ Peyton Man16