Hill 16 seated and GAA History lessons for Vikings as NFL Dublin details emerge
An all-seated Hill 16, alcohol inside Croke Park, and GAA players visiting the Minnesota Vikings are just a few things to expect this September 28, with the NFC North outfit unveiled as opponents for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first NFL regular season game to take place on Irish soil.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were confirmed for Croke Park in February, while the Vikings were announced as their opponents on Tuesday, with GAA HQ and its surrounding areas set to be converted into an American bonanza for the week of the game.
And while the NFL is very strict in what information they do and don't give to the media, there are a few things that we do know after Tuesday's media briefing.
A capacity of 76,000 (give or take) is expected, with NFL Ireland and UK general manager Henry Hodgson confirming after much speculation that Hill 16 will be seated for the match.
Hodgson did say that conversations were 'ongoing' with regards to bringing alcohol to your seats during the game, but also said conversations with Croke Park bosses had been 'positive', giving a clear indication that the stadium will break with their own rules for the occasion.
Hodgson did keep his cards close to his chest on a number of future plans, such as closures around the stadium and making deals with Irish broadcasters for the game, but he did say the Pittsburgh Steelers planned to 'take over the city and make this feel like the NFL has arrived in town'.
He added that more information will be available in July, but based on the College Football takeover of Dame Street in recent years and the NFL hosting massive fan zone events near stadiums on game days, both domestically and internationally, expect no expense spared for a full Dublin takeover.
€10m of public money has been ring-fenced for the event, with Dublin City Council and the Irish Government all hands on deck to ensure the event goes ahead smoothly. The economic impacts of the game coming to Dublin could range between €80m and north of €120m for the Irish economy.
'I can definitely see a continuation', Hodgson said of more games coming to Dublin in the future. 'We haven't made long-term commitments on day one. We said let's evaluate and improve collectively and go from there.'
Logistics and economic impacts aside, Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell says that he hopes to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Northampton Saints and Leinster Rugby in recruiting GAA Players and historians to meet the team and talk about the history of the Jones' Road venue.
'Part of the experience of this is [about the history].' He told the Irish Mirror.
'It would be very easy to just say, 'Hey, it's just another game,' But then it would be shortsighted of me as the head coach to not really engage in learning about the great history.
'I've already learned in a very short amount of time about many aspects of what makes Croke Park so, so special and an amazing venue, and I know our players will feel the same, and now we get the opportunity to play there.
'We're gonna try to make the most of it and look forward to building a lot of relationships and hopefully acquiring some new Minnesota Vikings fans along the way.'
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