NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has stated that the Pittsburgh Steelers' participation in a regular-season game in Dublin later this year will be a "huge celebration." This highly anticipated news was confirmed on Friday ahead of the Super Bowl game in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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02-08, 2025Steelers' legendary owner Dan Rooney, who passed away in 2017, had lifelong ties to Ireland and served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012. Goodell said, "We are very excited about this, Ireland is a huge market for us. Obviously, the United States has close ties to Ireland. The Pittsburgh Steelers also have a special connection to Ireland through their (Rooney) family."
Goodell added that the NFL receives "a tremendous amount of media coverage" in Ireland and that "we work all year round to promote the sport and get kids involved, whether it’s flag football or full-kit football." He continued, "All of this is part of our effort to make our game more popular there, and this game is like a spark that ignites even greater interest."
Steelers players Larry Ogunjobi and Cameron Heyward have both expressed excitement about the news. Heyward stated, "I don't know much about Ireland, but Mr. Rooney was the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, so it will be cool to see it all happen, and they have a lot of fans there." Ogunjobi added, "When I visited Mexico last year, I learned how important the fan base is and how important it is for us to show up in their country and show them that we support them as much as they support us." Heyward also indicated that the audience can anticipate "a lot of hits, sacks, turnovers, and great plays."
The Pittsburgh Steelers previously played a pre-season game against the Chicago Bears at Croke Park in 1997, and Dublin has also hosted college football games. However, the arrival of an NFL regular-season game is undoubtedly a significant achievement for the Gaelic Athletic Association, the owner of the 82,000-seat Croke Park stadium.
