Steelers Eye Playing NFL Games in Ireland

The Pittsburgh Steelers are boosting their presence in Ireland and hope to play a regular season game there, strengthening the already-strong ties between the two regions.

Driving the news: The NFL awarded the Steelers rights to expand their brand and activities for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland as part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program.

• “Our aspirations long term are to play a game in Ireland,” said Daniel Rooney, the team’s director of business development and strategy, according to the Associated Press. “As we move through the process, we’ll be evaluating all options.”
• The Steelers, one of the NFL’s marquee franchises, can also host events such as fan and youth football activities throughout Ireland.
• The Global Markets Program license also allows the Steelers to engage corporate sponsors and merchandise sales as well as marketing relationships throughout Ireland.

History test: Ireland has never hosted a regular-season NFL game, but the Steelers beat the Chicago Bears 30-17 in a preseason matchup at Dublin’s Croke Park in 1997. Croke Park holds 82,300 and would likely be the site of any future Steelers game.

Deep roots: Late Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney’s ties with Ireland were notable, as he served as the U.S. Ambassador there from 2009-12 and helped establish the Ireland Funds, a program founded to promote and support peace, culture, education and community development across Ireland and among Irish communities around the world.

• Rooney also worked to further the knowledge of the game of football throughout Ireland, efforts that included an annual