[D3PO]

Could we pull this off ? Would love to see it

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/champion...ittsburgh.html

[baz2009]

That'd be class.
Would it sell out?

[Chinpool]

Id be there in seconds!

[dubpunter]

Dan Rooney who is currently the US ambassador to Ireland has always been one of the key players in the labour agreements in the NFL. He has interestingly taken the players side in the current impending lockout and agrees with the players union that 18 games is too many.

I suspect that if Rooney managed to help both sides come to agreement and a lockout is avoided then Rooney will bring his Steelers over to Dublin. I think that the AFC championship game was the first game he got to this year and if he can't get to any of the games in Pittsburg then he'll take them over to him.

[kmart6]

Until I see something from an American soure I won't be too convinced!

[kmart6]

Sorry but this kinda just show's how this report has just been thrown together

Originally Posted by irish echo

Big Ben’s suggestion has clearly been taken literally and to heart in Dublin where big college football games have been played before enthusiastic crowds in recent years.

When were these games in recent years?! Can't really call something that was in 1996 recent years!!

[dubpunter]

The timing of this announcement doesn't seem to be out of place. The Wembley games have traditionally been announced in the few weeks before the Superbowl. However this year with the impending possibility of a lockout nothing can be set in stone. No team is willing to even enter negotiations about playing overseas when they can't be sure of playing any games at all.

However Rooney might be willing to give up a Steelers home game with less advanced warning than most other teams. It would not be out of place for either him and or the NFL to sound out the GAA. As far as I know the away team has no choice in the matter and it is only the home team that must give up a home game. With Rooney over here it has always been a possibility that the Steelers would end up in Dublin

[jack presley]

Can we wait until we have confirmation of a season in 2011 before we start worrying about whether there's a games at Croker?

[anthonymc123]

jesus that would be brilliant for the country and the ga.......but i dont know if it would work for example the tickets for the wembly version are very expensive and i couldnt see the irish public buying them. after all we wont buy tickets to see our national football team play because they are too expensive i cant see us forking out to see some oversize yanks

[Nemanja91]

It would be great if it did happen.

[kmart6]

Timing of what announcement?! So far is has been a Spokesperson for a Minister talking to the Irish Echo and Croke Park's stadium director saying ''Tentative discussions have been held and nothing is definite'' .....oong way from an announcement being made!!!

[kmart6]

Even Florio is dismissing it right now....

Originally Posted by profootballtalk

As the Steelers prepare to play in Super Bowl XLV, intrigue already has arisen regarding the possibility that the team will be playing a neutral-site game during the 2011 season.

From the Irish Echo comes word that the Steelers could be heading to Ireland to play a regular-season game next season.

A spokesperson from Ireland’s Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, told the Echo that discussions have been held “at the official level” regarding the possibility of a game to be played at the “GAA headquarters,” which has a capacity in excess of 80,000.

The Echo connects the obvious dots back to the Steelers, since chairman Dan Rooney is the current U.S. ambassador to Ireland.

We were prepared to dismiss the report, in part because we’ve yet to find any U.K. publication that generally is regarded as accurate and reliable. But then we noticed something, thanks to a Twitter message from a reader. Under the league’s current scheduling formula, which ostensibly takes each team into every stadium at least once every eight years, the Steelers are due to play “at Arizona” in 2011, even though they played “at Arizona” in 2007.

The Cardinals, who are in a down cycle and who could be destined for a blackout or two in 2011, could be a prime candidate to sacrifice a home game in exchange for the pay day that would come from playing in Europe.

But then we noticed that the games between the AFC West teams and the NFC North teams also feature some repeat locations from 2007, with for example the Bears playing at Oakland for a second straight time. This could mean that Bears-Raiders will be exported to Wembley Stadium, given the recent problems the Raiders have experienced when it comes to selling out their home stadium.

This is all speculation at this point. Though it’s likely that at least one game will be played in the United Kingdon, the league has not said whether two games will be staged there — and none of the teams who’ll potentially play there have been identified.

[dubpunter]

Not as if we haven't heard this rumour before.

Jan 08

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gael...s-1269662.html

But if there is a delay in announcing the international series game for 2011 due to the CBA taking time to negotiate it would be a possibility.

[adrian522]

For info Steelers games for next year are :

Home: BAL, CIN, CLE (all these are Divisional games), JAX, TEN, NE, SEA,SL
Away: BAL, CIN, CLE (all these are Divisional games), HOU, IND, KC, ARI, SF

If they are to give up a home game likely matchups are JAX, TEN, SEA and SL as NE have recently played at wembley, but I guess you never know.

[bruschi]

Originally Posted by kmart6

Even Florio is dismissing it right now....

a lot of reference to the 'UK' in that article. Will we have to send them a map of Europe?

The game would sell out, easily. For the games in Wembley, there are loads of mainland Europeans at it. And if one of the superbowl teams were to be scheduled to play, there is no doubt it would generate huge interest.