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Could Steelers Be NFL’s Annual Representative in Ireland?
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- Could Steelers Be NFL’s Annual Representative in Ireland?
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the home team for the first ever regular season game in Ireland and there's a good chance it won't be the last time.
On Friday morning, the NFL officially announced that the Pittsburgh Steelers will play a regular season game in Dublin, Ireland and act as the home team.
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"I'm honored to confirm that in 2025, the NFL will play an historic first ever regular season game in Dublin, Ireland," NFL Executive Vice President of Club Business Peter O'Reilly said. "The designated home team for this significant first game is the Pittsburgh Steelers. … They're one of the flagship franchises of the National Football League and a team with deep history and authentic heritage on the island of Ireland."
It's been a long time coming for the Steelers, who have expressed that playing a game in Ireland is one of their long-term goals. The team gained the NFL marketing rights for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland through the NFL's Global Markets Program two years ago.
The Rooney family has deep ties to Ireland, having immigrated from there in the 1800s. They eventually settled in Pittsburgh, PA where they founded their franchise in 1933.
More recently, late owner Dan Rooney served as Ireland's ambassador from 2009-12 and co-founded the Ireland Funds, which is a global institution that aims to help make the island a better place.
"The Steelers are honored and excited to play in the NFL's first ever regular season game in Ireland," Steelers Director of Business Development and Strategy Daniel Rooney Jr. said.
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So it came as no surprise when the league made it official that the Steelers will be a representative for its first ever regular season game in Ireland.
Could the Steelers act as such on an annual basis?
"At the moment, we're focused on 2025," O'Reilly said. "I think beyond that, obviously, we said we're committed year-round to continue to growing our game and bringing more to our fans in Ireland. We'll work towards what future games could look like as we get through 2025. In terms of the participating teams, I'm sure Dan would be interested, and the ties are great."
It remains to be seen who the Steelers will face overseas, despite the growing speculation that it will be the Green Bay Packers .
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O'Reilly confirmed that belief on Friday while admitting it won't be an easy decision with several teams showing interest.
"Scheduling of the Steelers opponent will be done as part of our more traditional scheduling timeline this spring," O'Reilly said. "That said, my sense is, from early conversations, that there are a lot of clubs who are interested in being part of this historic game."
However, that isn't stopping the Steelers from preparing for the game on an international level. Rooney revealed former and current members of the team will be making several trips to Ireland leading up to the game to build anticipation.
"We'll be bringing alumni, some of the Steelers greats over, as well as some of our current players between now and the game next season to teach our wonderful game," Rooney said. "Certainly, more to come and we're excited."
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Only time will tell whether the Steelers will act as the NFL's representative in Ireland on an annual basis, but they look ready to prove why that should be the case with a chance to return to their homeland.
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