By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) -The NFL hosts the second of a record seven international games this season in Dublin on Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings face off amid a global surge of interest in the American gridiron game, league executives said.
Over 600,000 digital devices hopped in the online queue for tickets to the clash at Croke Park, the NFL’s first regular-season game in the Irish capital, according to Managing Director and Head of NFL International Gerrit Meier.
To accommodate fans who could not snag a ticket, the league has planned a series of free fan events across the city this week, giving the feel of a “mini Super Bowl coming to town”.
“It is all about growing the game at every level,” said Meier, adding that the league recently launched a program at Irish schools, three years before the non-contact version of the game makes its Olympic debut in Los Angeles.
Following the Week 4 Dublin game, the Vikings will become the first to play back-to-back international games in different countries when they face the Cleveland Browns in London, which has long played host to the NFL.
Two more games are set for London next month, while the NFL hosts games in November in Berlin and Madrid.
The league had a successful second outing in Brazil earlier this season, after pitch complaints overshadowed its debut in Sao Paulo a year ago.
The growing slate of international games comes as more cities are eager to welcome teams, said Peter O’Reilly, Executive Vice President, club business, international and league events.
“Probably a day doesn’t go by where Gerrit or I or someone else on our international team doesn’t receive outreach from a city or an entity interested in working with the NFL or potentially hosting a game,” O’Reilly told reporters.
“Cities have seen what it’s like to host a game and the visibility that it brings.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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