For the first time, the Pittsburgh Steelers preseason games and The Mike Tomlin Show will be featured on Virgin Media Television in Ireland in 2024, thanks to a new local media rights deal, president Art Rooney II announced this week.
The Steelers continue to expand their coverage in The Emerald Isle, which is the ancestral home of the Rooneys. Pittsburgh also has international marketing rights in Mexico and Germany.
“We’re very excited to have our (preseason) games and The Mike Tomlin Show on Virgin Media in Ireland,” Rooney said in an interview with Virgin Media. “It’s our first time having the games on in Ireland, so it will be great to have our fans have an opportunity to get closer to the team. And, of course, every week being able to get Coach (Mike) Tomlin’s thoughts on week-to-week what’s going on this season. I think it will be great for our fans in Ireland.”
🗣 "We're very excited.
🗣 "My family has deep roots in Ireland on both my mother's and father's side.
🗣 "We're hoping that sometime soon we'll be playing in Ireland.@steelers President Art Rooney II on the partnership with Virgin Media Television. 🏈🇮🇪@SteelersIreland pic.twitter.com/03tyszaT8h
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) August 9, 2024
The Rooneys have deep ties to Ireland. Dan Rooney served as the United States Ambassador to Ireland, from 2009-2012. He was also co-founder of the Ireland-related fundraising organization The Ireland Funds.
“Well, of course, my family has deep roots in Ireland. Both on my mother’s and father’s side. And still have family there,” Rooney told Virgin Media. “We’re just excited to grow our fan following in Ireland. Have a lot of fans there, but giving them more opportunities to learn about the team and follow the team and learn about American football. It’s been fun, and looking forward to building on what we’ve started so far.”
Rooney stated at the NFL Owner’s Meetings in March that the Steelers would push for a game in Ireland. One of the cities being explored is Dublin. The last time the Steelers played in Ireland was in 1997 for a preseason game against the Chicago Bears, but this game would likely be a regular-season game.
“We’re hoping that sometime soon we’ll be playing another game in Ireland. We played back in the ’90s, it was a preseason game. We expect next time we play a game in Ireland it will probably be a regular-season game. And who knows, it could be one of these years coming up soon.”
The two stadiums the NFL plans to study are Croke Park and Aviva Stadium. Aviva Stadium has hosted numerous college football games, while Croke Park hosted that meeting between the Steelers and Bears. The Steelers want to be that team to play in Ireland, and it could happen as early as next year with Pittsburgh having nine home games. They have not played internationally since 2013, when they played the Minnesota Vikings in London.