Talk is circulating about Dublin’s ability to host NFL fixtures in the future, despite the fact that their College football clash between Notre Dame and Navy is still a month away.

On 1 September, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium is set to be a sell-out, as American football returns to Ireland. It may ‘only’ be college football, but the event has fuelled speculation in the football news that the NFL will soon be following across the Atlantic.

Ireland’s appetite for the sport is clearly insatiable, with Aviva’s 51,000 tickets going fast when the game was scheduled, earlier this year.

An expected 35,000 Americans are expected to descend upon Dublin for the fixture between two of College football’s biggest and most supported teams.

Navy and Notre Dame have been big rivals in college football for over eight decades, and games between the two sides are usually charged.

This atmosphere is likely to spread across the Atlantic in September, fuelled by the Irish desire to witness the sport in their own front yard.

If the game goes well, it should open the door for the NFL franchise to sample the delights of Ireland. The NFL already successfully hosts a fixture at Wembley each season, with sell-out 84,000 attendances recorded since the deal started in 2007.

The partnership with Wembley has proved hugely beneficial for both parties, with the stadium attracting sell-out audiences, as the sport becomes accessible to die-hard fans unable to travel to the US.

Now attention is turning to Ireland, with Pittsburgh Steelers owner, Dan Rooney, claiming he would be interested in playing a game in Croke Park, Dublin.

The stadium is enormous, can handle corporate hospitality, and is famous for the captivating atmosphere it generates.

Rooney earmarked Croke Park for its huge capacity and Gaelic heritage, and should the NFL branch out further into Europe, Dublin would be the perfect destination to showcase their sport.

Visit the football news website on Bet365 for more information on the NFL, as well as the best from live NCAAF games.

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