Dublin in the running for NFL hosting

AMERICAN Football’s NFL representatives have confirmed Dublin could host a regular season game within the next few years.

The league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, has told Sports Illustrated that the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is owned by the Rooney family, are in favour of relocating one of their home games to Ireland.

The US Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney, is chairman of the AFC North outfit and Goodell acknowledged that Rooney had proposed the idea.

The NFL’s owners voted last month to add a second foreign game to the league’s season to go with the London fixture which was first played in 2007.

The first time the NFL ever went abroad for a regular season game was Mexico City in 2005 but Wembley has been the venue on the last five occasions.

“It’s clear that there’s support for more than one game (in the UK),” said Goodell to Sports Illustrated. “The ownership has passed a resolution allowing us to do that. We may do that as early as 2012. We’re sort of contemplating that in the context of them hosting the Olympics next summer.” When asked about the possibility of the Steelers playing there, he added: “We think it could be a success. And yes, (Rooney) has expressed an interest in that.”