According to an economic assessment, last year’s NFL game in Dublin generated an estimated €105 million for the Irish economy. At an event at TCD to announce the results of the Economic Impact Assessment, the Minister of sport, Patrick O’Donovan, praised the government’s decision to invest €10 million to host the games. Mr O’Donovan said: “I know that there were a lot of people that were saying in advance that this was a potential waste of money, and we shouldn’t be doing this, and there was questionable data with regard to whether or not it was going to be worth anything to the economy.” He also added a comment congratulating the Government and members of the cabinet’s decision to go through despite uncertainty and criticisms.
What O’Donovan called a “phenomenal success”, has been confirmed in BDO’s report for Failte Ireland. The research concluded that of the €104.5 million from hosting the NFL game, €76.8 million was directed towards accommodation, food and beverages, retail and transport. The results indicated that for every euro publicly funded for the game, €2.24 in tax receipts was generated for the Exchequer. Minister of State Charlie McConalogue said the match “went off exceptionally well” and returned €22m “direct to the taxpayer”.
According to the The Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, 37 per cent of visitors were from the US or Canada, 30 per cent somewhere else overseas, 33 per cent from Ireland and day visitors. The study also indicated that the NFL game significantly influenced foreign visitors’ decision to come to Ireland, many of them being first time tourists.
Given the success announced by the minister, he confirmed plans “to place Dublin now very firmly and very squarely at the centre of NFL scheduling for future matches”. Discussions for housing another game in the 27 to 28 season have now started. Additionally, the government announced a joint funding with the NFL to promote flag football in Ireland. Targeting especially children and schools, the funding aims to develop interest in American football in Ireland and cement its appeal for the younger generations.
These actions align largely with NFL’s exportation all around the globe currently. London and Munich have seen multiple games organised as well as last year the NFL held a game in South America. This suggests a clear overall trend of soft power exports. One that also comes with neat economical perks.
