Published on : Saturday, September 3, 2016
American college football is returning to Ireland for the third time in five years and bringing with it a tourism impact of €19 million for Dublin. Our capital city is continuing its fine run of hosting international events with this weekend’s high profile clash of Boston College and Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at the Aviva Stadium.
Supported by Fáilte Ireland, the tourism authority is welcoming the boost as US and European visitors flock to the capital to support their teams. Welcoming the news, Paul Keeley Director Business Development with Fáilte Ireland said –
“With the game being broadcast live to an expected US audience of 2 million viewers via ESPN, we have a fantastic opportunity to showcase Ireland’s ability to host international sporting tournaments while also reaching out to viewers – and potential visitors – in one of our key markets.
“Our largest international sporting event for 2016, the Aer Lingus College Football Classic is set to provide a great boost to local tourism. We are delighted to welcome all the participants and supporters to Ireland and look forward to an exciting weekend both on and off the field.”
Trinity College will host the official Welcome Village for the event with visitors set to enjoy a real taste of American football life with pep rallies, music from the university bands as well as cheerleading displays. Fáilte Ireland has been heavily involved in arrangements for the Welcome village and Mr Keeley believes the extra-curricular activities will play a key role in the overall success of the event.
“We wanted to ensure that our US visitors, in terms of their experience here, enjoy the full Irish and it was essential that activities off the pitch were just as entertaining as on. With both colleges travelling with a 150 piece strong marching band and cheerleading troops, anyone who visits Trinity College over the weekend will be in for a treat.”
The support of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic is just one of a number of events that Fáilte Ireland is working on to build Irelands ‘event island’ reputation internationally as well as ensuring the hosting of compelling events of scale in the off-season.
Indeed, through Event Ireland – a new team set up within Fáilte Ireland to identify, bid for and win events for Ireland – a further 14 international events have been secured for the next 5 years totalling over 40,000 international participants/spectators and estimated revenue of €30 million. Overall €100 million worth of events is currently in the pipeline – highlighting that if converted, the potential prize for Ireland is extremely lucrative.
Source:- Failte Ireland
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