DERAMORE Park played host to young American football fans on Saturday as NFL franchise, Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the first or two Irish American Football Youth Camps.

Cork was the venue on Sunday, but Belfast was the first port of call, hosted by Steelers players Connor Heyward and Calvin Austin III, Steelers Director of Business Development & Strategy Dan Rooney, alongside coaches from American Football Ireland.  

Approximately 200 aspiring Irish American Football players between the ages of 9 and 18 were in attendance across the two camps where they received coaching and instruction from the Steelers on skills and techniques, including flag football instruction and drills. The events were free for all participants.  

The two Pittsburgh Steelers American Football Youth Camps are the latest events in a series of activities that the NFL team have hosted in Ireland since being granted the rights to expand their brand and activities across the island as part of the NFL’s ‘Global Markets Program’.  

The NFL’s Global Markets Program grants NFL clubs access to international markets to expand and raise further awareness of the game through activities such as fan and youth events, along with corporate sponsorship and merchandise sales.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have previously hosted fan and football educational events, including a first of its kind, sold-out Fan Watch Party at Croke Park in Dublin last November and a Kicking Clinic in April of this year. The team also announced their fourth round pick in this year live from Kerry.  

The Pittsburgh Steelers have brought several former players to Ireland as part of their activity over the last 12 months however this weekend marked the first occasion since the advent of the Global Markets Program that current players have visited. 

“We have hosted numerous events across the island of Ireland, and we continue to be blown away by the love that exists for the game of American Football and the appetite of young people to learn the game," said Pittsburgh Steelers Director of Business Development and Strategy, Daniel Rooney.

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"We received a warm welcome in both Belfast and Cork and I hope everyone involved in our two youth camps enjoyed learning some of the skills and techniques of the game from our players, Connor and Calvin. 

"We are already looking forward to future opportunities where we can engage with our many Irish fans and grow the game that we love.” 

The Pittsburgh Steelers have dedicated Irish social media accounts, where content from this weekend’s Youth Camps were published for Irish fans to enjoy.