NFL regulalr season game in Croke Park ?

conno16

when are tickets on sale for that btw?

bruschi

Syferus wrote: »

Dan Rooney is a dyed-in-the-wool Irish-American and personally requested the Irish ambassador role from Obama so it's hard to question that emotionally he'd want to join two huge passions of his.

All the intimations so far has the NFL leaning towards a second Wembley game but, honestly, familiarity breeds apathy and that it would risk taking the shine off what they already have going on at Wembley.

What I can say with confidence is that as of right now Ireland is far, far more likely to host an NFL game of any hue than Germany is as the NFL is huge on sticking to one market at the moment. They've over-reached in the past so they're taking things very conservatively this time. The 40 million people of Irish heritage in America and the two countries historical bonds (as opposed to antagonism in the case of Germany) certainly helps too.

If the Notre Dame game is a success it'll really boost our chances so I suppose the best advice you can offer is if you want an NFL game here turn out in the Aviva next year.

Agree with that. I dont think there is any way they would sell out 2 games in Wembley in one season now. The Bears/Bucs game was a good bit short of a sell out, plenty of tickets available at it, and a load of upper tier seats were empty. most people just make an annual event of going to the game there, cant see people doing it twice, and cant see the demand in Wembley for 2 games in the season.

as pointed out, a lot of international fans go to these games. plenty of Americans make the trip over, and I'm sure they will be looking at the Navy game to see how many Americans travel, and you could add in a load fo central Europeans who would travel to Ireland for a regular NFL season game. Its as easy to get to London as Dublin from mainland Europe so I dont see it as a huge issue. I would think alright Germany would get a game before Ireland, but there are positives and negatives for both places.

me-skywalker

If it does get the go ahead it will be the same as the Wembley game as in that big teams aren't going to be willing to give-up a home game less chances of seeing Pats, Packers, Saints, Giants, Steelers... unless it is as an away team. As I've said we could just end up with a Steelers pre-season game, wouldnt be awful but fingers crossed thsi happens!!

D3PO

me-skywalker wrote: »

If it does get the go ahead it will be the same as the Wembley game as in that big teams aren't going to be willing to give-up a home game !!

All 32 teams have signed up to giving up a home game for the international series. So weather they are willing or not it might not be up to them.

me-skywalker

D3PO wrote: »

All 32 teams have signed up to giving up a home game for the international series. So weather they are willing or not it might not be up to them.

Can you link me the material, just interested in reading it myself.

Le King

I thought they would be more interested in sorting out LA and Toronto before Dublin and London etc.

Germany is far more deserving but I'm not going to say no to a game in Croke Park.

Surely the agenda should be getting a team in LA and then placing games elsewhere around the globe.

GoldFour4

Le King wrote: »

I thought they would be more interested in sorting out LA and Toronto before Dublin and London etc.

Germany is far more deserving but I'm not going to say no to a game in Croke Park.

Surely the agenda should be getting a team in LA and then placing games elsewhere around the globe.

Ah but come on man your talking about two completely different things. The idea of the europe games is to spread the game to a wider audience. Its asking a team to give up one home game.

Relocating a team to LA is asking a team to leave their fanbase for good. Thats asking all the players, coaches and the hundreds of people employed by teams to move home. The game doesn't need to be promoted in LA. Its the second largest TV market for the league.

Le King

malachyscott wrote: »

Ah but come on man your talking about two completely different things. The idea of the europe games is to spread the game to a wider audience. Its asking a team to give up one home game.

Relocating a team to LA is asking a team to leave their fanbase for good. Thats asking all the players, coaches and the hundreds of people employed by teams to move home. The game doesn't need to be promoted in LA. Its the second largest TV market for the league.

No, I realise that. Who said it needs to be promoted in LA? Jaguars, Raiders, 49ers, Bills, Chargers etc. would all benefit from moving to LA. By 2016 we will have a team in LA. The NFL want a team in LA.

Getting back to the point I'd love to see a Cowboys v Giants in Croke Park. Pipe dream.

me-skywalker

Le King wrote: »

Germany is far more deserving but I'm not going to say no to a game in Croke Park.

Why is Germany far more deserving?

jack presley

me-skywalker wrote: »

Le King wrote: »

Germany is far more deserving but I'm not going to say no to a game in Croke Park.

Why is Germany far more deserving?

Bigger interest per capita I'd imagine. They did support a couple of NFL Europe and at the end apart from a Dutch team, they were all German

I said this yesterday but I don't think there was much agreement but I still think us being around 800 miles and 2-3 hours closer to the States than Germany, as well as us speaking English are big pluses to our bid.

Fr Tod Umptious

jack presley wrote: »

Bigger interest per capita I'd imagine. They did support a couple of NFL Europe and at the end apart from a Dutch team, they were all German

I said this yesterday but I don't think there was much agreement but I still think us being around 800 miles and 2-3 hours closer to the States than Germany, as well as us speaking English are big pluses to our bid.

I really do not think that the distance and language will be deal makers.

Former NFL Europe cities like Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne and Hamburg are at most 2 hours further than Ireland.
And the Germans have no problem speaking English.

An NFL game in Dublin would honestly be a long shot.

D3PO

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I really do not think that the distance and language will be deal makers.

Former NFL Europe cities like Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne and Hamburg are at most 2 hours further than Ireland.
And the Germans have no problem speaking English.

An NFL game in Dublin would honestly be a long shot.

Nobody said they are deal breakers they said they are considerations and Pros that Ireland have over germany.

Another two hours travel another hour of a timezone difference are again considerations not deal breakers.

its not as long a shot as people would think but its certainly an outsider of happening anytime soon.

I mean who would have thought we would have a DIV 1A game here a few years ago ?

Peyton Manning

Hopefully the Cardinals come over.

I would feel bad if someone called Larry Fitzgerald didn't spend at least 1 weekend in Ireland during his life.

Fr Tod Umptious

D3PO wrote: »

Nobody said they are deal breakers they said they are considerations and Pros that Ireland have over germany.

Another two hours travel another hour of a timezone difference are again considerations not deal breakers.

its not as long a shot as people would think but its certainly an outsider of happening anytime soon.

I mean who would have thought we would have a DIV 1A game here a few years ago ?

I would, we have had them before, three times.

I just think that if the NFL are looking at places to host a international game Dublin would be way down the list compared to Germany, Amsterdam or Paris.

D3PO

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I would, we have had them before, three times.

I just think that if the NFL are looking at places to host a international game Dublin would be way down the list compared to Germany, Amsterdam or Paris.

yeah 16 years ago the lst time it happened with no inclination in the past decade that it was every likely to happen again. Id imagine you were in a small minority that were expecting it to reoccur though.

I guess Im likewise in the small minority that thinks an NFL game could happen. Only time will tell

Chardee MacDennis

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

An NFL game in Dublin would honestly be a long shot.

not from what Goodell says, and surely thats all that matters!

http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/12263254/nfl---national-football-league/nfl-commissioner-roger-goodell----sports-illustrated-podcast wrote:

On the International game in London and if it is experimental:
I don't know if I can answer that Peter, but I can tell you I don't look at it as experimental. I look at it to developmental. If we continue to take the steps that we've taken to develop our game and the fans continue to react the way they've react and our partners, not only sponsors and licensees but our television partners. The game is treated much more seriously in the United Kingdom as an example by playing our regular season series over there. It's clear that there's support for more than one game which the ownership has passed a resolution to allow us to do that. We may do that as early as 2012. We are sort of contemplating that in the context of they are also hosting the Olympics next summer.
On if there will be two games in England in 2012:
Not in England in 2012. We may, because of the Olympics, look at 2013.
On playing in England and somewhere else in 2012:
Possibly. It may be someplace else in the UK, not necessarily in London.
On Rooney wanting to bring the Steelers to Dublin for a game:
Sure. We had a game in the 90's, Chicago and Pittsburgh played. It was a great success.
On a regular season game in Dublin:
We've not done that but I think that it could be a success. He has expressed an interest in doing that.

Dodge

Well they're visiting Croke park tomorrow. So if you want it to happen maybe walk around town all day in your NFL stuff making them think its a HUGE sport here

Syferus

Dodge wrote: »

Well they're visiting Croke park tomorrow. So if you want it to happen maybe walk around town all day in your NFL stuff making them think its a HUGE sport here

Just show them a clip of Joe Sheridan going for a touchdown last year and we've got the deal in the bag.

ac20

Interesting quote from Goddell with regards the American Bowl game held here in 1997. He says it was a great success. I stand corrected but the attendance that day was around twenty seven thousand and Croker felt, well quite empty although the atmosphere was decent enough. I recall a few years back matching that attendance figure against all the other american bowls held throughout the globe from the first one in Wembley in the 80s to the last one in 2005, and the Dublin game had the lowest attendance of them all.
Assume he talks in terms of organisation, hospitality of visiting teams etc but from an attendance point of view the figures were bad even if it was a pre season game.
Perhaps someone else who attended the game can verify the attendance Im going on memory with the 27k.

bruschi

ac20 wrote: »

Interesting quote from Goddell with regards the American Bowl game held here in 1997. He says it was a great success. I stand corrected but the attendance that day was around twenty seven thousand and Croker felt, well quite empty although the atmosphere was decent enough. I recall a few years back matching that attendance figure against all the other american bowls held throughout the globe from the first one in Wembley in the 80s to the last one in 2005, and the Dublin game had the lowest attendance of them all.
Assume he talks in terms of organisation, hospitality of visiting teams etc but from an attendance point of view the figures were bad even if it was a pre season game.
Perhaps someone else who attended the game can verify the attendance Im going on memory with the 27k.

I think american football in Ireland has increased hugely though since 1997. Sky showing more games, and people have far far more interest in it now. In those 15 or so years, the interest levels have rose massively IMO, so I really wouldnt be guaging interest or attendance on a game back then. this forum is even an indicator on that. look at the interest levels and participation on here just compared to just 3 years ago.

The college game next September I think is going to be the benchmark. if that goes well, with a capacity crowd and a good atmosphere and everything that goes with it, then it will be a step closer.

jack presley

I don't think you can compare back then to now though. The game is definitely more popular now. Back then TV coverage was nothing like it is now and there are a lot more digital TV subscribers these days. We all had dial-up Internet as well so the game is so much easier to follow now with broadband.

baddebt

honestly i'd jizz my pants if the nfl where to hold a regular season game in Croker , it would be cool especially if it was the Bears , surel they along with the giants and Packers are among the most supported teams among Irish fans

ac20

bruschi wrote: »

I think american football in Ireland has increased hugely though since 1997. Sky showing more games, and people have far far more interest in it now. In those 15 or so years, the interest levels have rose massively IMO, so I really wouldnt be guaging interest or attendance on a game back then. this forum is even an indicator on that. look at the interest levels and participation on here just compared to just 3 years ago.

The college game next September I think is going to be the benchmark. if that goes well, with a capacity crowd and a good atmosphere and everything that goes with it, then it will be a step closer.

just showing my age:)

plus come to think of it as it was pre season, there were probably very few fans of either team prepared to travel over from the States for it.

jack presley

baddebt wrote: »

honestly i'd jizz my pants if the nfl where to hold a regular season game in Croker , it would be cool especially if it was the Bears , surel they along with the giants and Packers are among the most supported teams among Irish fans

As we're a nation of glory hunters I reckon just about any team that has won the Super Bowl over tha past 20 years will have a popular support here

Me included. I got into the game around the time the Redskins actually played like a football team!

Syferus

baddebt wrote: »

honestly i'd jizz my pants if the nfl where to hold a regular season game in Croker , it would be cool especially if it was the Bears , surel they along with the giants and Packers are among the most supported teams among Irish fans

The Patriots and the Steelers would be likely the most supported, honestly. The Patriots because of the huge Irish-American population in Boston and the Steelers because they're owned by a very pro-actively Irish-American family, and Pittsburgh is one of those towns with a real blue-collar, working class image.

Oh, and they've hauled in a combined five Superbowls (and seven appearances) since 2001!

Chardee MacDennis

baddebt wrote: »

honestly i'd jizz my pants if the nfl where to hold a regular season game in Croker , it would be cool especially if it was the Bears , surel they along with the giants and Packers are among the most supported teams among Irish fans

It will almost certainly be the Steelers...

me-skywalker

So we can take form the interview that the Olympics is a deciding factor in this. Even thought it ends in Aug (strange)

If its not going to be London, which it wont, and Rooney has already voiced his opinion to Goddell, the NCAA game generating its own momentum and fans, language, timezones, Irish-American partnerships and multinationals coudl get behind it; Croke Park can get behidn all these things and have a great chance to come away with a game.

Al Capwned

I was in Croker in the 90's for the Steelers game - was against the Chicago Bears. Was an absolute thrill to see American Football live - granted it was a pre-season game, but just to see the whole spectacle, the game itself and the experience, was incredible.

I have relations in Rochester PA, about an hour from Pittsburgh, and I've always followed the steelers.

I was 20 in July 1997, and that night in croker still ranks as one of my favourite sporting memories.

I'll be first in the queue if it happens!!!!

ReacherCreature

baddebt wrote: »

honestly i'd jizz my pants if the nfl where to hold a regular season game in Croker , it would be cool especially if it was the Bears , surel they along with the giants and Packers are among the most supported teams among Irish fans

Dolphins and 49ers could have a solid support base.

Justin10

All I know about this is Dan Rooney was over All Ireland football weekend and I was told this idea was discussed then.

I did see him at croke park that day but had been told this before the game so who knows fingers crossed.