Thousands of international and Irish American football fans descended on Dublin last weekend as the capital hosted the first game of the Aer Lingus College Football series, which saw the Northwestern Wildcats take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The game took place on Saturday 27 August at the Aviva Stadium after cancellations in 2020 and 2021 and was a further boost to the recovery efforts of the tourism industry.
Of Critical Importance
According to Fáilte Ireland, these games are of critical importance to the Irish economy and provide a platform to build a future pipeline of large-scale international sporting events for the country.
Statement By Director Of Regional Development, Fáilte Ireland
Paul Keeley, Director of Regional Development, Fáilte Ireland said, "Large scale events such as this are an important part of driving tourism demand because they provide international and domestic visitors with a compelling reason to choose Dublin as a destination. As one of the key sponsors of the event, we're looking forward to welcoming the thousands of American football fans, including 13,000 visitors from the US, to Dublin this weekend for the first game in the series. Many of the fans will also travel to other parts of Ireland boosting tourism revenue throughout the country.
"The millions of fans watching the game in the US will also provide Ireland with a valuable opportunity to showcase its ability to host large-scale international sporting tournaments while also reaching out to viewers - and potential visitors - in one of our key markets."
Second Game
The second game in the five-game series will see Notre Dame host Navy on Saturday 26 August 2023 at the Aviva Stadium Dublin.
© 2022 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
