Christy O'Connor: Young GAA players kicking on in the NFL

When the NFL first started to get serious about expanding their product beyond the US in the mid-1980s, they initiated the American Bowl, a series of pre-season games in other countries to promote American football.

The NFL fetched up in London, Gothenburg, Tokyo, Toronto, Montreal, Berlin, Barcelona, Mexico City and Moterrey before eventually arriving in Dublin.

Dublin had been staging college American football games since the late 1980s before taking it to the next level in 1997 when the Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Chicago Bears in a pre-season game in Croke Park.

It was real razzmatazz. 

The game was Fox Sports' first broadcast outside of North America. A giant TV screen was installed, as were temporary floodlights to accommodate the 6pm US TV-friendly kick-off time.

The goalposts were brought in from Scotland, the scoreboard arrived from England, while The Corrs were flown in from Los Angeles to play the half-time show. Before the match began, the US army's Golden Knights parachute team dropped into the stadium with the match ball.

Yet as the NFL continued to take their game around the world over the following three decades, effectively establishing a second home in London, they never came back to Ireland. Until now.

Twenty-eight years on, the first in-season game between two professional sides in Ireland takes place in Croke Park on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s been a long time coming, especially when there has always been such a strong historical and cultural connection between this country and the US. And yet, it feels more timely than ever now when there has never been as many Irish players operating in the NFL, or on the colleges football scene, which, after the NFL, is the second biggest sporting attraction in the US.

The biggest catalyst for creating that new and exciting wave of fresh talent is Tadgh Leader, who scouts and recruits players across the country to transition into American football through either the colleges scene or straight into the NFL.

“There’s so many people around Ireland that have a phenomenal kick of the ball,” said Leader in ‘Punt – The Irish and the NFL’, the documentary screened on RTÉ last March. “Over the last year I have found guys and it has clearly changed their lives dramatically.

“They didn’t know they had such a valuable skill-set. The Irish talent is obviously here but no one has been here to realise it.” 

A former Irish U20 and USA rugby international who spent time at Connacht and clubs in Italy and America, Leader also played American football across the world. Since starting 'Leader Kicking' as a pathway for Irish athletes to US College Football, he has been scouring the world for potential kickers ranging from GAA, AFL, soccer and rugby to compete at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

STAGGERING

Some of the results have been staggering. Outside of those playing college football, Mark McNamee from Dublin has been signed with the Green Bay Packers while Charlie Smyth from Down was recruited by the New Orleans Saints.

With participating NFL sides gaining an extra roster spot for an International Pathway player (IPP) on their practice (reserve) squad, more chances have opened up for more Irish players than ever before. And hordes of players are queuing up to try and live that dream.

The staggering pace of McNamee’s progress has shown everybody else what is possible. After trying out for Leader at an open day last autumn, McNamee then got a call two days before Christmas confirming his place amongst the IPP candidates.

After quitting his job as an IT salesman, McNamee began training full-time in January before heading to Florida with Leader and a handful of others to prepare for the NFL Pro Day in Indianapolis in March.

After converting 13 kicks out of 14 from various distances, McNamee continued to audition for NFL teams over the following four months. When a call didn’t come, a route was plotted into the Canadian Football League with BC Lions in Vancouver.

McNamee went back to Dublin in June hoping that he might be back in Vancouver in September if a gap in the Lions’ roster opened up. Then, completely out of the blue, McNamee’s agent rang and told him to pack his bags. He was on a flight by 7am the following day and in Wisconsin that night. A day later, McNamee had signed for the Packers.

Leader has opened up a whole new vista of what is possible for Irish kickers who can send an American football 55 to 60 yards in a straight line. Honing technique and timing is the crucial next step but the most critical requirement of all is having the mental capacity to cope with one of the most stressful jobs in an alien sport.

“What I’m targeting is outliers,” said Leader a few years back. “You mightn’t be the star of the minors or a senior inter-county player; there are lads who play club football with a phenomenally good kick who mightn’t be the best athletes.” 

Smyth is an outstanding Gaelic football goalkeeper, chosen as Ulster U20 Player of the Year in 2021, but McNamee certainly is that outlier.

Having tipped around the edges of the Dublin U20s a few years back, McNamee was in goals for the Ballyboden St Enda’s Intermediate team this time last year. Look at him now?

For lots of young GAA players with a kick like a horse, the possibility of getting a huge contract in a professional sport is far more realistic than it ever was.

All for doing what those players always loved to do in the first place – kicking a ball.