PITTSBURGH STEELERS CHAIRMAN Dan Rooney says Croke Park chiefs were the victims of bad timing in their failed bid to bring a regular season NFL game to Dublin.
Plans at GAA Headquarters were dealt a blow with the news that the Minnesota Vikings will host the Steelers, owned by US Ambassador to Ireland Rooney, next autumn.
The game will be the second tie at Wembley in 2013, marking the end of Irish hopes of a top-level gridiron game in Dublin for the time being.
Rooney says NFL chiefs want to test the depth of interest for the game in Britain however.
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“We were very close to getting it here,” the ambassador told Newstalk’s Off The Ball tonight. ”The problem is they’re trying to see what London can do and whether it can handle more than one game and that’s what happened.
“But you know the people here at Croke Park were terrific. I mean they did everything they could do. They set up a video and I talked to them about who they should talk with and all that kind of stuff but unfortunately it came at the wrong time. I think in a couple of years we could do it most definitely.
“Now we played pre-season game here in ’95 and it was great. It was a great experience. We had been in a lot of these American Bowls, as they said, and it was without a doubt the best game of all; the players had a great time and it was a very good game, it went well. So we know the place is terrific here. You have the training facilities and Croke Park is great and it holds a lot of people — 85,000 — so you know hopefully we’re going to get it one of these years.
Rooney agrees that the NFL — led by the league commissioner, Roger Goodell — are keen to develop a London fanbase.
“[F]or the one game, they always get a big crowd. But they wanted to see if they can get [it for] two. Because I said I think if we’re going to be spreading American football, there should be two places and I think it should be Ireland. And if it isn’t Ireland, there’s other places that are interested, particularly Germany and places like that.
“But the commissioner’s Irish so I’m sure if he were going anywhere else he would be pushing here.”
Ambassador Rooney also insisted that Croke Park chiefs did not make any mistakes during their efforts to secure the lucrative event.
“I don’t think so, I think they did everything possible,” he told Eoin McDevitt. “It was just a question of what the National Football League was trying to do. And… they had my full support, I spoke to the commissioner. They sent people over, [Croke Park stadium director] Peter McKenna went over with others and talked. But as I say the timing was just bad, that’s the only real problem. I don’t think there’s any doubt that if they were willing to going anywhere else then it would have been Ireland.”
The coveted second European game will be played on 29 September in Wembley Stadium, league officials confirmed. A regular-season game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the San Francisco also takes place in north London on 27 October 2013.
Dan Rooney added that the game will not now happen before 2014, if at all, in his view.
This MUST Stop next season. Calling Shamrock, ‘Rovers’ gives the impression that De Rov-ers i.e. Sligo Rovers, are involved with fighting the Garda and burning, fireworks and generally interrupting games. Whether it be against Bohs, Rov-ers or any team in the league. On behalf of the real Rov-ers i.e. Sligo Rovers, please differentiate between the league champions and the other crowd intent on causing trouble. To ‘the Shams’ fans who came to cheer their team, see you next season, to the bowsies, stay away from the beloved Shogies
Nobody refers to Sligo as “Rovers”, except for Sligo fans of course.
When a League of Ireland fan references “Rovers”, they’re talking about Shamrock Rovers, not Sligo. That’s the way it’s always been and that won’t change. Sligo fans can say Shams in every sentence they want, it doesn’t matter.
Also, Sligo Rovers fans constantly referring to Shamrock Rovers as “Shams” (even club officials, embarrassing) is honestly one of the most cringeworthy things I’ve ever heard/read, it’s almost as odd as them calling Galway fans “crusties”, most of the dopes saying it are in Galway for College because you have to leave Sligo unless you’re content with doing a colourbook course in ITSligo.
the reason Shams fans get bad press is because a small minority of them ruin it for everybody else. At the showgeounds on Friday there were people there with their families to enjoy a very special moment in Sligo Rovers history and to be fair not one that happens to often and the so called “fans” ruined it with their behaviour so sad for all LOI fans
@Gary Mason, there’s a huge difference between a bit of atmosphere and some idiots throwing fireworks at stewards, at players and onto the pitch during the match, which is what happened on Friday night. I’ve been going to the Showgrounds for most of my life, have gone to loads of matches in both Carlisle & Newcastle in the UK, and last Friday night first time I felt genuinely worried that someone was going to get seriously injured on the pitch by supporters acting the way they did-before the match kicked off, there was at least one Sligo Rovers fan on his way to hospital to get glass removed from his eye because of *some* of the Shams supporters. Pretty much every club has some troublemakers, but there’s a huge difference between creating an atmosphere at a match and causing serious injury to someone. (Although in their defence, they did at one point throw a firework onto their own banner and nearly set that alight too….)
Vinny, Vinny, Vinny,We don’t call our team ‘Rovers’ we say…De Rov-ers! and as for the moniker ‘Shams’ it refers to Shamrock Rovers pretending, that the L.O.I. shines from their ass holes, with the help of the powers that be that is. We in the North West like to call our team De Rov-ers with a hyphen, to distinguish one set of football supporters i.e. De Rov-ers from the so called ‘Fans’ that follow Shams. Your real supporters are salt of the earth, which is why I, along with many others, sat in protest in the midfield of Glenmalure Park, Miltown, fadó, fadó, in solidarity with them. Did you hear and see the applause for Twigs? that my friend is what REAL fans do. You wouldn’t be expected to know this, but hitch your mules to our wagon train next season and experience how De Diehards, Forza Rov-ers and ancillary fans enjoy a game. Bring the family, Grannies, Granddads, Women and Children, they’ll be very safe and enjoy the football. Derry City for the cup!!!
While compiling the piece, I looked through all the LOI-related pics available on INPHO, which were taken over the course of the season, and the 53 you see above were the best/most striking, in my view.
I also really like those linesman pics, and particularly the way the sky looks in them, which is why I used more than one of them. I’m sorry if they weren’t to your taste.
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Out of 53 photos only 1 of trouble. Well done Shamrock Rovers, and ya wonder why you get bad press!
This MUST Stop next season. Calling Shamrock, ‘Rovers’ gives the impression that De Rov-ers i.e. Sligo Rovers, are involved with fighting the Garda and burning, fireworks and generally interrupting games. Whether it be against Bohs, Rov-ers or any team in the league. On behalf of the real Rov-ers i.e. Sligo Rovers, please differentiate between the league champions and the other crowd intent on causing trouble. To ‘the Shams’ fans who came to cheer their team, see you next season, to the bowsies, stay away from the beloved Shogies
Nobody refers to Sligo as “Rovers”, except for Sligo fans of course.
When a League of Ireland fan references “Rovers”, they’re talking about Shamrock Rovers, not Sligo. That’s the way it’s always been and that won’t change. Sligo fans can say Shams in every sentence they want, it doesn’t matter.
Also, Sligo Rovers fans constantly referring to Shamrock Rovers as “Shams” (even club officials, embarrassing) is honestly one of the most cringeworthy things I’ve ever heard/read, it’s almost as odd as them calling Galway fans “crusties”, most of the dopes saying it are in Galway for College because you have to leave Sligo unless you’re content with doing a colourbook course in ITSligo.
36 people from Sligo dislike this
the reason Shams fans get bad press is because a small minority of them ruin it for everybody else. At the showgeounds on Friday there were people there with their families to enjoy a very special moment in Sligo Rovers history and to be fair not one that happens to often and the so called “fans” ruined it with their behaviour so sad for all LOI fans
go sit on a barstool if you can’t take a game with a bit of atmosphere, less than half those sligo fans will be there next year anyway
@Gary Mason, there’s a huge difference between a bit of atmosphere and some idiots throwing fireworks at stewards, at players and onto the pitch during the match, which is what happened on Friday night. I’ve been going to the Showgrounds for most of my life, have gone to loads of matches in both Carlisle & Newcastle in the UK, and last Friday night first time I felt genuinely worried that someone was going to get seriously injured on the pitch by supporters acting the way they did-before the match kicked off, there was at least one Sligo Rovers fan on his way to hospital to get glass removed from his eye because of *some* of the Shams supporters. Pretty much every club has some troublemakers, but there’s a huge difference between creating an atmosphere at a match and causing serious injury to someone. (Although in their defence, they did at one point throw a firework onto their own banner and nearly set that alight too….)
Is it march yet ?
Where’s the flair from UCD / Cork first game of the season?
Vinny, Vinny, Vinny,We don’t call our team ‘Rovers’ we say…De Rov-ers! and as for the moniker ‘Shams’ it refers to Shamrock Rovers pretending, that the L.O.I. shines from their ass holes, with the help of the powers that be that is. We in the North West like to call our team De Rov-ers with a hyphen, to distinguish one set of football supporters i.e. De Rov-ers from the so called ‘Fans’ that follow Shams. Your real supporters are salt of the earth, which is why I, along with many others, sat in protest in the midfield of Glenmalure Park, Miltown, fadó, fadó, in solidarity with them. Did you hear and see the applause for Twigs? that my friend is what REAL fans do. You wouldn’t be expected to know this, but hitch your mules to our wagon train next season and experience how De Diehards, Forza Rov-ers and ancillary fans enjoy a game. Bring the family, Grannies, Granddads, Women and Children, they’ll be very safe and enjoy the football. Derry City for the cup!!!
Hard to believe somebody can conjure up 53 images of league of Ireland football.
Always the one knocker.
Go sit on your bar stool derek!
Shamrock are Shelbourne (ask Brian Laws) and Sligo are Sligo. Nobody is Rovers. Simples.
if they bothered to look they’d find more and better pictures, instead we have ‘general view of a linesman’ more than once
Hi Gary,
While compiling the piece, I looked through all the LOI-related pics available on INPHO, which were taken over the course of the season, and the 53 you see above were the best/most striking, in my view.
I also really like those linesman pics, and particularly the way the sky looks in them, which is why I used more than one of them. I’m sorry if they weren’t to your taste.