“This strategy from the Steelers is to grow the brand and the sport first,” he explained, “but in terms of our commercial opportunity here we have a lot of strong connections from my grandfather’s days here and everyone has been very open to chatting.” Rooney III spent time interning at the US Embassy during his grandfather’s stint in the Phoenix Park and the diplomatic life clearly rubbed off given the polished and practised responses to queries as to what they hope to gain from entering such a small market. “It’s probably a slow process, right?” Faneca predicted. Art Rooney, whose family hailed from Newry, was the club’s founder and his son Dan built on the relationship with the old country during his time in charge and in a stint as US Ambassador in Dublin.ĭan’s grandson, Dan Rooney III, is the club’s director of business development and strategy and he was a prominent presence last week as they visited Croke Park, Royal County Down Golf Club, the EPIC museum, and held a football camp at the National Indoor Arena.Ĭlare’s minor hurling champions and a selection of players from the American Football Ireland (AFI) league were put through their paces in Abbotstown by Holmes and Faneca and the club has introduced an Irish podcast and social media accounts too. The short and, in fairness, consistent response is the ownership. Double that took in the second at the same venue only two months ago and the plan is that the Croke Park version will become a regular occurrence too.īut why Ireland? This small, windswept outpost on the edge of Europe. There were 2,000 fans at their first ‘watch party’ in Mexico City’s Pepsi Arena late in 2022. The Steelers are one of nine teams with similar rights in Mexico, a country with a population 18 times the island of Ireland’s, an estimated seven million Steelers fans, and a nation with an attachment to them that goes back to the club’s 1970s heyday. Six months had passed since the franchise was last here and promoting their newly-acquired NFL marketing rights for Ireland, which they share with the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the sport steps up its attempt to make a larger footprint around the world. It's 40 years since the NFL first appeared on our screens via RTÉ and Channel 4, but this felt like a new departure for the sport on these shores. “The GAA could learn a few things from this.” Tickets for the event had gone on sale for €20 a pop in September and sold out within 23 hours. “I’ve never seen the place look like this,” said the three-time All Star on stage as GAA president Larry McCarthy and other association officials mingled around the room. Mayo footballer Aidan O’Shea, an avid Steelers fan, was well impressed. It was slick, smooth, sumptuous and boisterous. You couldn’t but be impressed by a set-up instantly familiar to anyone who has ever attended a sporting event in the States. The smells assailed the senses even as Holmes and Faneca regaled the room and the game began and, if Steelers jerseys abounded, then there were converts to the causes of the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and more again among the congregation. Crockpot chicken with Mexican beans, pepperbelle and taco sauce. Peanut butter and jelly buffalo wings were on the go for €10. The entrance to the Hogan Stand was bedecked in Steelers black and gold and every fan was handed one of the club’s famous ‘Terrible Towels’ before ascending to a floor decorated with a merchandise stand and a host of imported culinary specialities.
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