As the game of football continues to grow across the globe, the Pittsburgh Steelers are eyeing an international game — and soon.
According to team president and owner Art Rooney II, the Steelers “absolutely” want to play a game in Ireland soon as part of the Steelers’ marketing rights within the Emerald Isle.
Appearing on Sky Sports earlier in the week, Rooney stated that the Steelers are going to get a game there — whether it’s a preseason or regular-season game — eventually.
“”We absolutely want to play a game over there again sometime soon. Whether it’s a preseason game or a regular-season game, we haven’t been able to narrow that down yet,” Rooney said, according to video via Sky Sports on Twitter. “But we’ll get there and, yeah, it’s gonna be exciting when we get there.”
The Steelers’ history in Ireland dates back many years and, quite honestly, is a key part of the Steelers’ lore.
It’s well-know that the Rooney family is from Ireland, with the Rooneys immigrating from Ireland to the United States in the 1800s. Art Rooney II’s mother, Patricia Rooney, has history with Ireland, too. Her parents, Mary Duffy Regan and Martin Regan, immigrated from Ireland before Patricia was born on the North Shore in 1933 — the year that the Steelers were founded.
The late Dan Rooney served as the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 2009-2012 on appointment from President Barack Obama. Along with serving in Ireland, Dan Rooney also 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.
Ireland holds a key place within the Steelers overall, which is why it was no surprise that Pittsburgh was awarded the marketing rights to the republic off the coast of Wales and England.
Through the Global Markets program and the marketing rights, the Steelers will be able to host in-person activities such as fan and youth football activities throughout Ireland. The marketing license also enables the Steelers to partake in corporate sponsorships and merchandise sales, as well as co-marketing relationships throughout the island of Ireland. The Steelers are set to host a fan Watch Party at Croke Park on Sunday, Nov. 19 for the game against the Cleveland Browns.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to have a greater presence in Ireland and feel like we have a built-in set of fans over there with some relatives and friends over the years. And so we’re, we’re very excited about it,” Rooney added.
The last time the Steelers hosted a game in Ireland was a preseason matchup against the Chicago Bears in 1997. That game remains the only NFL one to be played in Ireland.
Based on Rooney’s comments to Sky Sports though, that is set to change — and soon.
