Meanwhile in Ireland

    SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER!

    What's Hot

    Top 10 Irish TIKTOKERS and INSTAGRAMMERS to follow in 2023

    March 28, 2023

    The Banshees of Inisherin EXPLAINED (real meaning and THEMES)

    March 27, 2023

    10 CONTROVERSIAL food combinations that can END friendships

    March 27, 2023
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Meanwhile in Ireland
    • Home
    • News
    • Craic
    • Sports
    • More
      • Culture
      • Dublin
      • Funny
      • Irish People
      • Interesting News
      • Satire
      • The Drink!
      • Travel
      • TV and Movies
      • Viral
    • Shop
    Facebook YouTube Instagram TikTok
    Meanwhile in Ireland
    You are at:Home » News » Sports » Appetite for American Football in Ireland is on the rise
    Sports

    Appetite for American Football in Ireland is on the rise

    Meanwhile in IrelandBy Meanwhile in IrelandMay 3, 2019No Comments6 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share:
    Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Email

    American football is showing signs of competing with Ireland’s most popular sports, such as Gaelic football and rugby, with a growing number of fans and players tuning in to the NFL.

    The number of participants in American football in Ireland is also on the rise, too.

    Although gridiron has been played loosely in the Republic since the 1980s, the number of players has risen markedly since the turn of the millennium.

    In 2001, just 120 players were involved with the Irish American Football Association (IAFA), but by 2017 some 2,968 players were participating regularly.

    A nod to the history of American football in Ireland when it first arrived in Ulster back in 1942.

    The Irish American Football League (IAFL) is the competition that has benefited most from the surge in popularity of American football.

    Established way back in 1984, in the 80s and 90s the IAFL only hosted a single event known as the Shamrock Bowl between the Craigavon Cowboys and the Dublin Celts.

    The Celts would become the dominant force in American football in Ireland and were eventually selected to represent Ireland at the Euro Bowl, which is considered the “Champions League” of American football in continental Europe.

    The growth of the Irish American Football League

    Wind the clock forward to the present day in the IAFL and there are now 22 teams competing in a dedicated league format.

    That’s only ten fewer than the number that will be competing for the Super Bowl LIV title, with the latest Super Bowl moneylines suggesting it could be a four-way fight between the Patriots, Chiefs, Saints and Rams.

    In Ireland, the Dublin Rebels have dominated the IAFL, winning the title nine times, but the Cork Admirals made history by taking the spoils last year.

    Ireland’s American footballers have a role model to look up to in the shape of Patrick Murray.

    Murray’s father and uncle both played Gaelic football for the prestigious club of Monaghan, but despite learning to kick Gaelic footballs just as well as his predecessors, Patrick would eventually turn his attentions to the NFL.

    Murray opted not to study at college in Dublin and instead continued his studies in America, appearing for Fordham as a punter and kicker.

    His performances saw him become an All-American kicker, attracting the attention of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who offered him a futures contract.

    Murray has since featured for the Buccaneers, the Browns and the Saints during his time in NFL, becoming an icon for Irish NFL followers.

    Ireland’s love for American college football, too

    It’s not just NFL football that Ireland is going mad for—it’s America’s college football, too.

    In September 2016, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium played host to the first game of the new college football season between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Boston College Eagles.

    Meanwhile, more than 53,000 were in attendance to watch a college football fixture between Penn State’s Nittany Lions and the University of Central Florida Knights back in 2015.

    Matthew Craig, IAFA board member and chairman of the Carrickfergus Knights, believes that it’s not unrealistic to expect that Ireland could yield an even bigger crowd than that if it were given the chance to host an NFL game.

    As an inspiration for Dublin becoming another host city for NFL contests, Mr. Craig pointed to the way in which London’s Wembley Stadium has taken NFL to its heart in recent years.

    Craig believes it is “something that will happen in time”, given the demand among Irish fans and the growth of the sport nationwide.

    Cecil Martin, a former Sky Sports analyst for its NFL channel, once hosted training camps in both Dublin and Belfast; these were aimed at giving local American footballers a platform to showcase their talents and get a taste of what it’s like to train and play American football professionally.

    The rosters of many teams competing in the IAFL are now reaching 30 to 40, and Michael Smith, president of the IAFA, believes that this is a sign of how popular the game of American football has become Ireland.

    Smith believes these figures are “similar” to NFL franchises. In the 2019 IAFL campaign, there are three separate conferences in existence: the Shamrock Bowl Conference, the IAFL-1 and the IAFL-2.

    The latter is considered the third tier of American football in Ireland and was designed to welcome new teams to the sport by helping clubs get off the ground slowly and play against teams with similar histories and philosophies.

    NFL has become increasingly accessible to Irish fans

    Irish sports journalist Steven O’Rourke believes that American football in Ireland has benefited greatly from Sky Sports having secured the NFL broadcasting rights in recent years.

    Given that many NFL games are scheduled during Sunday lunchtimes and early afternoons in America, this has allowed live NFL games to be broadcast on Sunday evenings in Ireland, at a time when there is very little competition on the TV schedules.

    Why is Dublin’s Aviva Stadium continually overlooked for hosting the NFL in Europe?

    Perhaps the most disappointing thing is that the NFL has still shown no appetite to host an NFL game in Ireland, despite choosing to host more games overseas in Dusseldorf and Mexico City.

    Mark Waller, executive vice president of the NFL, once said that the league was looking to “accelerate its agenda” in Mexico, China and Canada, as the organization has a presence in all three of those nations. Waller also labelled Brazil and Germany “frontier markets”, but made no mention of Ireland as a future host.

    As part of the IAFL’s preparations for the next Shamrock Bowl XXXII, to be held on 4th August, the IAFA board has launched a competition to encourage American football fans across Ireland to design a logo to be used exclusively for Shamrock Bowl 33.

    The winning entrant will receive an all-4-one voucher worth €200, as well as two VIP tickets to watch the 33rd Shamrock Bowl, two tickets to watch the U20’s Wolfhounds vs Bristol Pride home fixture, and plenty of IAFA and Wolfhounds merchandise.

    It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Ireland’s next generation of sporting fans could be talking about a “big three” rather than a “big two” (Gaelic football and soccer). At present, American football is attracting all generations in Ireland, which is pleasing to see.

    Legal Disclaimer

    We cover articles relating to many activities. Some of our articles showcase gaming and gambling as activities. While we do not take money for bets or own any gambling venues, we feel it is important that our readers know the risks of such venues or sites that we may mention in our articles. Gambling involves risk. Please only gamble with funds that you can comfortably afford to lose. See our legal disclaimer for more info.

    Share. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Avatar photo
    Meanwhile in Ireland

    Meanwhile in Ireland is a celebration of all that is weird and wonderful about Ireland! We are one of Ireland’s most popular humour websites, specialising in news, viral videos and general Irish craic. Launched in 2014, Meanwhile in Ireland has cultivated a community of over 600,000 social media followers, with over 200,000 monthly page views on MeanwhileinIreland.com.

    Related Posts

    Top 3 greyhounds of all time with links to Ireland

    By Meanwhile in IrelandMarch 24, 2023

    Top 10 GREATEST Irish racehorses of all time, RANKED

    By Conal HunterMarch 15, 2023

    Ireland’s 5 BIGGEST Six Nations victories over Italy, RANKED

    By Conal HunterFebruary 24, 2023

    Why Glentoran fans are annoyed about Paddy McClean’s retirement news

    By Conal HunterFebruary 13, 2023
    Latest Articles

    Top 10 Irish TIKTOKERS and INSTAGRAMMERS to follow in 2023

    March 28, 2023

    The Banshees of Inisherin EXPLAINED (real meaning and THEMES)

    March 27, 2023

    10 CONTROVERSIAL food combinations that can END friendships

    March 27, 2023

    The 10 CRAZIEST Titanic conspiracy theories, EXPLAINED

    March 24, 2023
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    Don't Miss

    Galway bar to host Tinder Night on Valentine’s Day

    By Siân McQuillanFebruary 9, 2022

    De Burgo’s Bar in Galway will open to singletons looking for love this 14 February…

    Irish woman’s song to feature on new Diana Ross album

    August 25, 2021

    English teen with rare brain disorder wakes up with an Irish accent

    May 5, 2021

    WATCH: Irish dad’s legendary reaction to his first ever time on a plane

    May 16, 2017

    Subscribe to our Newsletter!

    We specialise in Bizarre Irish News, Viral Videos and general Irish Craic.

    • Home
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Guests Posts
    • Team
    • Work for us
    • Terms of use
    • Privacy policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Copyright
    • Shop
    Follow us

    Connect with us on your favourite social media app.

    Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube TikTok
    Contact us

    19 Arthur St, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT1 4GA.

    [email protected]

    Subscribe to our Newsletter!

    ©Copyright 2019 - Meanwhile in Ireland | Trading under Emerald Green Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.