{"id":85337,"date":"2025-09-25T19:22:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/85337\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T19:22:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:22:09","slug":"nfl-fans-happy-to-tick-off-bucket-list-city-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/85337\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL fans happy to tick off \u2018bucket list\u2019 city \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Within hours of arriving to Ireland for the first time, Pittsburgh native Caley Sanguigni\u2019s most prominent impression is that the Irish \u201clove their swear words like a drunk Pittsburgher\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Uber driver who took us here was swearing up a storm,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Standing in Dublin Castle\u2019s<\/a> upper courtyard, which, for three days, is hosting an National Football League (NFL)<\/a> festival, she said: \u201cIt\u2019s like Pittsburgh invaded Dublin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanguigni is one of more than 70,000 people due to attend the first ever regular-season NFL game played in Dublin. <\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> v Minnesota Vikings clash has drawn a significant number of visitors from the US<\/a>, which, according to NFL UK and Ireland general manager Henry Hodgson, is not typical for games hosted outside the sport\u2019s homeland. <\/p>\n

He cited data based on expressions of interest logged before tickets went on sale earlier this year. A third of those intending to attend were from the US, another third was based in Ireland and the remainder were from the UK and the rest of Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is not normally the make-up of those games,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

For other games staged abroad, such as in the UK, he said between 60 and 70 per cent of tickets were typically purchased by locals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it speaks to Dublin as a bucket list location.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0The NFL comes to Dublin: How it became the richest sports league in the worldOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\"HenryHenry Hodgson, NFL general manager for the UK and Ireland, in Dublin Castle. Photograph: Brendan Moran\/Sportsfile <\/p>\n

The NFL stages games abroad with a view to expanding the reach and popularity of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Game\u201d. With the number of Irish NFL fans, and viewership of the sport here, rising in recent years, he expects the occasion to be a \u201ccatalyst for further growth\u201d.<\/p>\n

Should Sunday\u2019s game have the desired impact, something he said will be measured by the NFL and the Irish Government afterwards, more Irish fixtures could be on the cards.<\/p>\n

There have been some high-profile attacks on tourists in Dublin in recent months and years, including a 2023 assault on New York native Stephen Termini<\/a>, which prompted the US embassy in Dublin to warn visitors to Ireland to keep a \u201clow profile\u201d. <\/p>\n

However, Hodgson maintains that Dublin and Ireland are perceived as being \u201cincredibly safe\u201d by US visitors. <\/p>\n

The prospect of pro-Palestinian<\/a> protests on Sunday was not a concern, he said, adding that sport can be a \u201cunifying force\u201d and there will be no attempt to ban any flags at the game, Palestinian or otherwise.<\/p>\n

\"NFLNFL chief medical officer Dr Allen Sills during a media event at Croke Park ahead of Sunday’s first regular season game in Ireland. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo\/INPHO \"NFLNFL Health & Safety Tour of Croke Park Ahead of Pittsburgh Steelers vs Minnesota Vikings 25\/9\/2025 A view of Steelers painted on the Croke Park pitch ahead of Sunday\u2019s game Mandatory Credit \u00a9INPHO\/Laszlo Geczo <\/p>\n

An Garda S\u00ed\u00f3ch\u00e1na<\/a> expects arrangements put in place for the game at Croke Park<\/a> to cause significant traffic disruption and delays. The force said a \u201clarge number\u201d of uniformed garda\u00ed will be deployed, as well specialist units including the public order unit, armed support unit and air support unit.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Dublin\u2019s streets, pubs and tour buses were already awash with the signature black, gold and purple colours of the Steelers and Vikings.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0State\u2019s \u20ac10m spend on NFL match won\u2019t sit easy with GAA players if grant request rejectedOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Many of those who had travelled said Dublin felt \u201cwelcoming\u201d and \u201csafe\u201d when compared to other European capitals, with almost all expressing shock at the presence of the sun.<\/p>\n

An older couple arriving at Dublin Castle were overheard asking a steward how to pronounce \u201cGalway\u201d. That tourist hotspot, as well as the Cliffs of Moher, Killarney and Spike Island in Co Cork, appeared to be on the must-see lists of many of those who have planned extended stays.<\/p>\n

\"SteelersSteelers fans Stacey Wilson and her daughter Brittany from North Carolina at Dublin Castle on Thursday morning <\/p>\n

Ashley Graf, a Vikings fan from Minnesota, travelled to Dublin with her mother Sherral, saying the country has been on their \u201cbucket list\u201d for some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWin or lose, it\u2019s still fun to be here. Everyone\u2019s been really nice and helpful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Sarah Roy, a native of Ottawa, Canada, who came to travel around the island and see the game, said the Irish have a \u201cwonderful reputation\u201d abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never heard anything bad about the Irish people and they\u2019ve surpassed expectations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Stacey Wilson and her daughter Brittany, from North Carolina, described Ireland as a \u201ccompletely different world\u201d to what they are used to back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is expensive, I\u2019m not gonna lie, but we expected that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Within hours of arriving to Ireland for the first time, Pittsburgh native Caley Sanguigni\u2019s most prominent impression is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85338,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[956,1007,52,56477,18,19,17,2530,48304,132,29639,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-85337","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-an-garda-siochana","9":"tag-croke-park","10":"tag-dublin","11":"tag-dublin-castle","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","17":"tag-sports","18":"tag-uber","19":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}