Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II thinks the team is set to make NFL history thanks to his son.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to make NFL history in Week 4 when they host the Minnesota Vikings in the first regular-season game held in Ireland. It’s something they have always envisioned but it took a long time to get here.
Steelers president Art Rooney II credits his son Dan Rooney for helping it get over the finish line.
“Dan’s done a great job and spent a lot of time helping us get all the arrangements made,” Art Rooney said. “I’m proud of the work he’s done over here for this.”
The Steelers have consistently expressed that playing a game in Ireland has been one of their long-term goals. The team gained the NFL marketing rights for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland through the NFL’s Global Markets Program two years ago.
That’s when Dan Rooney knew that dream was closer than ever before.
“We talked about it that day at Croke Park back in 2023 that the Steelers had a dream to play a game in Ireland, and I think the league recognized that the growth here and the fanbase that exists here,” Dan Rooney said. “I’m not really surprised, just more so excited.”
A lot more went into the Steelers’ efforts of growing their brand in Ireland, though. Dan Rooney helped lead the charge, and it’s safe to say, it’s been a major success.
“We’ve been working on this for quite a while, since really 2023 when we announced the global markets license in Ireland,” he said. “Really good team in place that works on Steelers international efforts. From the watch parties that we’ve held at Croke Park, which have all been sellouts, to all the youth football camps we’ve been holding across the island the last few years, being able to get current players like Pat Freiermuth over and former players like Jerome Bettis, who’s here right now enjoying the island and engaging with the people, it’s been awesome.”
Now, fans in black and gold have been flooding the streets of Dublin with just a couple of days until kickoff.
The Steelers were already the first NFL team to play a preseason game in Ireland, facing the Chicago Bears at Croke Park in 1997. The team believes this won’t be its last time in Ireland, either.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Art Rooney II Credits Son For Steelers’ Return to Ireland
