How much could Ireland's first ever NFL game be worth?

After months of speculation, it was confirmed yesterday that Ireland will host an NFL game for the first time.

What we know so far is the Pittsburgh Steelers (who have plenty of Irish connections) will be the designated home team, the game will be played at Croke Park in Dublin, and it will take place next autumn.

A lot is still to be determined, such as the exact date of the game, the opponent, and how much tickets will cost.

But what we can be sure of is that with the mammoth amount of money involved in the marketing of American football broadly - and particularly the NFL - the Irish economy can expect to see an incredible financial benefit as host.

Last year alone, the 32 NFL teams made a combined €12.5 billion in revenue within just the United States.

The Government has committed to nearly €10 million in State funding for the event, and is anticipating 30,000 international visitors who will add a €64m boost in economic activity and significant tax returns to the exchequer. It expects the NFL to spend between €14m and €18m on staging the game here.

However, some early estimates suggest the game could be worth around €250m to the country.

Boston College and Army face off in the 'Emerald Isle Classic' in Lansdowne Road, 1988

Dating back to 1988, Ireland has an established track record of hosting big American Football games for college teams, which in recent years have been marketed under the 'Aer Lingus College Football Classic'.

Grant Thornton compiled a financial report on the 2023 game, featuring Notre Dame and Navy at the Aviva Stadium in the capital.

It concluded that one game had a beneficial impact of €180m to the economy here.

'Biggest international event Ireland has ever staged'

But with the NFL coming to town, it wouldn't be a surprise to see that figure comfortably eclipsed.

Chief Executive of Sport for Business Rob Hartnett thinks the Steelers playing might not be just the largest sporting event held here but could be "the biggest international event Ireland has ever staged".

He said the estimated €180m value from the 2023 college football game was based on "one single game in one single day and that was in the Aviva, which had a capacity of 48,000 that day. But Croke Park has a much larger capacity (up to 82,300) and there will be huge interest in an NFL game there.

"The level of spend from people coming for that, flying over from the USA and elsewhere, they aren't going to be regular tourists and there'll be a big spend there."

Mr Hartnett estimates that "we could be looking at an overall economic benefit of well over €250m".

The 2023 meeting of Notre Dame and Navy was estimated to be worth €180m to the Irish economy

What can consumers expect to pay for the experience?

The boost in business will be spread across sectors - from pubs and hotels to restaurants, cafes and airlines.

But given recent experience of Ireland hosting high-demand events, many will be keeping a particularly close eye on how ticketsellers, accommodation providers, etc. deal with consumers on price once the date is confirmed.

With a chronic shortage of room availability, Dublin hotel prices are not especially competitive at the best of times and add in to the mix the capital hosting an international sporting event on this scale, people can expect to be paying into the high hundreds for accommodation for the game.

Ticket prices are yet to be announced but by way of comparison, tickets for London's NFL games last autumn ranged from £68-£195 (c. €81-€234).

Though, it is important to note there were three London NFL games last year, and the city had previously hosted the NFL.

That's not the case here; this is the first time the NFL is coming to Ireland, there's just one game - it's a novelty - and with the strong tradition of Irish-US relations, demand for tickets prices could end up much higher than those for the UK games.

So, high prices for tickets and accommodation are pretty much a given, and then there's the cost of food & drink, transport, merchandise, etc. to factor in.

It could end up being a pricey experience, but knowing a lot of the money is going back into the economy might ease the pain a little!

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