Could the NFL’s Next Big Move Be Across the Atlantic? Bettis Hints at Europe Franchise Plans

NFL: Minnesota Vikings v Pittsburgh Steelers

Venue: Croke Park, Dublin Date: Sunday, 28 September Kick-off: 14:30 BST

Coverage: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app from 13:00

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jerome Bettis affectionately remembers his first visit to Dublin in 1997.

He felt those who came to Croke Park for a pre-season contest between his side and the Chicago Bears were making an effort at “understanding and digesting” the largely unfamiliar game playing out in front of them.

While, of course, there were a healthy number of American expatriates and local fanatics among the 25,000 or so who filed into the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) for a game marketed as the ‘American Bowl’, there was a prevailing sense of curiosity among many members of the crowd.

Even the Hall of Fame running back himself, who scored a touchdown in the 30-17 Steelers’ victory, remembers more about a week spent enjoying what he terms Irish “hospitality” than anything that happened on the field of play.

Almost three decades on, as the NFL returns to Dublin for the city’s first ever regular-season game – featuring the Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday – it will be a wholly different proposition with a 75,000-sell-out crowd ensuring the historic fixture is the hottest ticket in town this weekend.

“I think it’s shown that the NFL has grown in the acceptance,” Bettis told BBC Sport NI.

“I think now the game has developed a lot more in Ireland, I expect to see Croke Park jamming.

“The energy should be electric, I’m excited for it.”

Bettis believes advances in technology and the advent of social media have helped to grow the game exponentially.

While those local supporters of the game in 1997 relied upon a highlights show of the previous week’s games to keep up to date, now there is a slew of live contests and associated programming broadcast each week.

Social media, meanwhile, means that visiting stars like Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson feel closer than ever.

“I think right now, when you see how the technology has changed, it has allowed for players to be in your living room on a regular basis,” Bettis said.

“From TikTok and all these different mediums, now you’re able to identify with the players. You know who the star quarterback is. You know who the star wide receiver is, and you become a fan of him or their team.

“I think that’s added to the excitement of the NFL game because now, it doesn’t matter where you are.”

With the ancestors of the Rooney family who own the Steelers having emigrated from Newry in County Down during the 1840s, the side’s visit in 1997 carried a special significance for the organisation.

Indeed, the desire to mark the return to the Rooney family’s homeland with victory was believed to have contributed to the side’s starters staying in the game for longer than customary in an effort to secure what would normally be considered a facile victory.

If that ensured a larger than expected pre-season workload for Bettis back then, his ambassadorial role for the Steelers at Sunday’s game means he has had the chance to see more of the Emerald Isle this time around.

A round of golf at the K Club, the venue for Rory McIlroy’s Irish Open victory this month, has proved a particular highlight with visits to Belfast and Newry also included in the itinerary.

The welcome bestowed upon the travelling contingent has left Bettis of the opinion that Dublin’s first regular-season game will not be its last.

“Coming as a fan and spectator, you get a chance to experience the culture here in Ireland and the people. You get a chance to interact a lot more and it’s just a wonderful place.

“The people have been fantastic to everyone, and I think this is going to be a recurring affair.

“I think this is a commitment the NFL is going to make to the fans of Ireland and show how important it is.”

As Dublin becomes the fourth European city to host a regular-season game after London, Frankfurt and Munich – Berlin and Madrid will follow suit in November – does Bettis believe we could one day see a full-time franchise on this side of the Atlantic?

“I just think as the game continues to expand, I think that question will continue to be raised,” he said.

“And as long as that question is being raised, then I think the possibility really exists.”