Bigger than football: Steelers' Dublin game is 100 years in the making

Sunday's NFL regular-season game in Dublin between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park marks a milestone rooted in a century of ties between Ireland and the Steelers' ownership family. For Irish fans who long for a regular-season NFL return after a solitary 1997 pre-season visit, and for the league that regards the Dublin match as a historic moment in a storied venue, the game carries extra significance. As one former Steelers star, Ike Taylor, told the BBC, "This game is bigger than football - because of the Rooney family and because we're in Ireland."

The Steelers' ownership story sits at the heart of the weekend. Art Rooney Sr. founded the franchise in 1933 after emigrating from Ireland decades earlier; the team was initially named the Pirates and was renamed in 1940 to reflect the city’s steel industry. His son Dan Rooney would eventually run day-to-day operations and become president in 1975, a turning point that helped transform a struggling club into a powerhouse. The Steelers moved to a new stadium in 1970 and would win four Super Bowls in six years starting in 1975, then add two more in 2006 and 2009 to share the NFL’s record for most Super Bowl wins.

Dan Rooney’s influence extended beyond the field. A year after taking over as Steelers president, he formed a charitable partnership with Sir Anthony O'Reilly, then head of Heinz Ireland, leading to the Ireland Funds, a philanthropic group that has raised more than $650 million for Irish organizations worldwide. As the NFL expanded globally, Rooney pressed for an NFL game in Ireland, which the league granted in 1997 when the Steelers faced the Chicago Bears at Croke Park.

Rooney also shaped league policy, including the 2003 introduction of the Rooney Rule, which requires an ethnic minority candidate to be interviewed for each head coach and general manager vacancy. In 2009, Rooney served as the United States ambassador to Ireland, a post he held until 2012, during which time he visited all 32 counties on the island. Upon his death in 2017, Irish President Michael D. Higgins paid tribute to a man whose work for peace and reconciliation carried real impact.

The Steelers organization remains deeply rooted in the Rooney family. Five members of the family continue to work in the front office, including Art Rooney II, who is now involved in directing business development and strategy. This week, he was part of a Steelers contingent that traveled to Newry, just across the border in Northern Ireland, to engage with local communities as preparations built toward the Dublin game.

"Growing up, my grandfather and father always talked about their love for Ireland, so this is a dream come true for the Rooney family," Art Rooney II said during the visit. He announced two scholarships for local pupils via the Ireland Funds, along with grants for nearby schools, part of a broader slate of community events the Steelers have organized across the island ahead of the Dublin kickoff.

Across the Atlantic, the connection to Ireland remains unusually deep. It is estimated that almost one in 10 Americans trace Irish heritage, a link reinforced by NFL executives and players who have ties to the island. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has Irish roots, and NFL executive Peter O'Reilly noted the significance of bringing the league’s brand to Dublin and to the Rooney legacy. Rodgers, who joined the team as its quarterback this season, called the Dublin trip meaningful, while O'Reilly described the scene of NFL fans in an iconic stadium as something special.

Head coach Mike Tomlin, who has led the Steelers since 2007, recalled the late Ambassador Rooney with pride. "I think a lot about the late Ambassador Rooney and how fired up he would be about this trip, and how important the development of this trip was for him," Tomlin said. He added that the family’s long-standing passion for Ireland and for the Steelers would be evident as the weekend’s events unfolded.

With kickoff set for 14:30 BST on Sunday, the Dublin game will mark the sixth regular-season NFL game hosted in an international city and deepen the Rooneys' footprint in Ireland. The weekend’s activities include governance, charitable grants, youth outreach, and cultural exchange, all underscored by a long-running family commitment to Ireland that predates the league’s modern era and endures well into today.