The Pittsburgh Steelers returned to both Ireland and Northern Ireland this weekend to host two American Football Youth Camps in Belfast and Cork. The events took place at Deramore Park in Belfast on Saturday and MTU Stadium in Cork on Sunday and were hosted by Steelers players Connor Heyward and Calvin Austin III, Steelers Director of Business Development & Strategy Dan Rooney, alongside coaches from American Football Ireland.
Approximately 200 aspiring Irish American Football players between the ages of 9 and 18 were in attendance across the two camps where they received coaching and instruction from the Steelers on skills and techniques, including flag football instruction and drills. The events were free for all participants.
The two Pittsburgh Steelers American Football Youth Camps are the latest events in a series of activities that the NFL team have hosted on the island of Ireland since being granted the rights to expand their brand and activities for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland as part of the NFL’s ‘Global Markets Program’.
The NFL’s Global Markets Program grants NFL clubs access to international markets to expand and raise further awareness of the game through activities such as fan and youth events, along with corporate sponsorship and merchandise sales. The Pittsburgh Steelers have previously hosted fan and football educational events, including a first of its kind, sold-out Fan Watch Party at Croke Park in Dublin last November and a Kicking Clinic in April of this year. The team also announced their fourth round pick in this year live from Co Kerry.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have brought several former players to Ireland as part of their activity over the last 12 months however this weekend marked the first occasion since the advent of the Global Markets Program that current players have visited.
Pittsburgh Steelers Director of Business Development and Strategy Daniel Rooney said: “We have hosted numerous events across the island of Ireland, and we continue to be blown away by the love that exists for the game of American Football and the appetite of young people to learn the game. We received a warm welcome in both Belfast and Cork and I hope everyone involved in our two youth camps enjoyed learning some of the skills and techniques of the game from our players, Connor and Calvin. We are already looking forward to future opportunities where we can engage with our many Irish fans and grow the game that we love.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers have dedicated Irish social media accounts, where content from this weekend’s Youth Camps were published for Irish fans to enjoy.
