The BackPage Weekly | NFL Expansion into Ireland: Key Takeaways
By Jonny Madill, Deirdre Duke, Andrew Nixon and Conall Devlin
Yesterday was a significant day for Irish sport as the first ever regular season NFL match took place in the island of Ireland – the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park in Dublin. As well as this being the latest in a number of major global sporting events to take place on Irish soil, this was a full-scale city takeover by the NFL and a masterclass in how to activate a marketing and fan engagement strategy.
The NFL’s expansion into new international markets is a fascinating case study for the sports industry. The NFL opting for Dublin as only the fourth European city to host a major fixture, after London, Frankfurt and Madrid, also raises a myriad of interesting issues.
One of the biggest conversations in sport at the moment is around the opportunity for sports rights holders to build a presence in new international markets and grow fandom in uncharted territories. There is perhaps no better starting point than looking at how the NFL are going about this.
In September 2025, the Sheridans | Sport team were in Dublin to host a gathering of industry leaders in Irish sport for a Q&A with NFL broadcaster and expert, Michael McQuaid.
Here are eight takeaways from the Sheridans | Sport team on the NFL’s latest expansion and what the sports industry can learn from this.
Unlike London, on the face of it, Ireland is a smaller market, but clearly a hugely attractive one. The NFL have clearly seen this as an opportunity to tap into the existing fandom around American Football in Ireland, inspire new fans to follow the sport, and also build a commercial presence on the ground to build on in the future. A key question will be how the NFL measures the success of an event like Sunday in Dublin (and indeed its London games). Part of this will inevitably be assessing ROI against all of the core revenue streams (media rights, sponsorship, matchday, merchandise etc.), but it is clear this is also about building a meaningful impact in a new market, establishing a new fan-base and building long-lasting commercial relationships on the ground. As part of the NFL Global Markets Program, five franchises have been given commercial rights in Ireland and the UK to run sponsorship campaigns and activations, fan engagement events etc. and engage with local brands.
The scale of the activation of Sunday’s event in Dublin and the marketing and fan engagement strategy in the lead up to the event was fascinating. This was far from being a testing of the waters from the NFL; rather a full takeover of a city. Key Dublin landmarks like Dublin Castle, Dublin City Hall and St Stephen’s Green were transformed into immersive NFL experiences, complete with official events, fanzones and an NFL Store. Pubs became official fan bases and there were tailgating venue announcements. There was a mini Super Bowl feel. But beyond the spectacle, one of the most compelling aspects of the NFL’s presence in Ireland was its grassroots strategy, particularly through their engagement with schools and communities. The NFL, with partners Sport Ireland and American Football Ireland, launched a nationwide flag football program, providing starter kits and online resources to over 900 post-primary schools across the island. Clearly a key objective of the NFL isn’t just introducing a sport, it’s building a developmental pathway for local talent, just like any other major sport in Ireland is doing.
The NFL have a free-to-air broadcast deal with Channel 5 in the UK and Virgin Media in Ireland. We live in a fragmented and ever-changing media and streaming rights landscape in sport and it is interesting (but not surprising) that a premium rights holder like the NFL are turning to free-to-air coverage as a means of building engagement in competitive new markets. While the league commands some of the most premium sports rights globally, it’s clear that in emerging markets, accessibility trumps exclusivity. This strategy reflects a key understanding: you can’t build a fan base behind a paywall. In markets where American football is still growing, the NFL is clearly prioritising reach over revenue.
One of the most compelling elements of the NFL’s international expansion is its focus on individual player branding, a strategy that goes beyond team loyalty and taps into the power of personality. The NFL isn’t just selling a sport; it’s creating superstars. And in today’s media landscape, those superstars are increasingly built through digital platforms, streaming content, and influencer-style engagement. The NFL is also leveraging local ambassadors and digital creators to engage fans in new markets. The league has partnered with influencers to produce localised content from meme-style videos to behind-the-scenes access that resonates culturally and emotionally. This ambassador and creator-led strategy is driving double-digit engagement growth in key markets and helping the NFL feel less like an American export and more like a global community.
The NFL have brought US sporting fandom and culture to Ireland and the UK. However, they have been clever in leaning into the sporting heritage of these new markets. For example, in a clever fusion of American football and Irish sporting heritage, the NFL partnered with Irish clothing brand Beir Bua to launch a limited-edition jersey collection ahead of the historic Dublin game at Croke Park. Known for its retro GAA-inspired designs, Beir Bua reimagined the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings as if they were local GAA clubs. Each jersey includes special stitching to mark the occasion, making them not just merchandise but collectible memorabilia. The collaboration is a perfect example of how the NFL is localising its brand not just through sport, but through culture, fashion, and storytelling. It’s a nod to Ireland’s deep sporting traditions and a smart way to make American football feel more at home on Irish soil.
The use of influencer marketing and user-generated content (and the so-called creator economy model) is clearly a hugely effective way of sports driving engagement with new audiences. Many sports rights holders are trying to strike the right balance though: one hand allowing fans and creators to use the brand freely as unofficial ambassadors of the sport; but also putting in place some guardrails or brand guidelines to help protect that brand. This will inevitably be a key consideration for the NFL as it is for any global rights holder.
There is no better example of a sport transcending entertainment, music, popular culture and celebrity than the NFL. People talk about the “Taylor Swift” effect. The league has long understood that individual personalities drive engagement, and in recent years, it has leaned heavily into the power of player branding and celebrity crossover to grow its global footprint. Swift’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs’ star Travis Kelce has sparked a cultural moment that the NFL has not only embraced but strategically leveraged to expand its reach and relevance. The NFL didn’t just ride this wave of new fandom, it steered it. Social media accounts were rebranded to cater for the Swifties who became overnight NFL fans, and game-day broadcasts featured her prominently. The league also leaned into influencer marketing, recognising Swift as a cultural bridge between sport and entertainment.
Finally, sports are in a highly competitive market and one key separator is digital innovation. The NFL has invested heavily in second-screen experiences, VR/AR, gaming and of course AI, to raise the bar of content creation, production and the fan experience.
