American Football in Ireland has had its share of ups and downs but the sport here is thriving again, as Andrew Cosgrave discovers

Sunday afternoon in Belfield. On a pitch basked in spring sunshine, the Cork Admirals are running through their pre-match warm-up drills. Passing. Stretching. Tackling. "Hit with the pads, wrap with the arms!" bellows one of their coaches. "Give 'em fuckin' hell, right!" screeches another.

On the opposite side of the field, league newcomers UCD make their own last-minute preparations. Their uniforms aren't as neat as Cork's, their helmets aren't as shiny. As the teams face each other before the game begins, their 19 squad members don't stretch nearly as far as Cork's 30. UCD are rank outsiders, but they're ready to play ball. This is the Irish American Football League. Fully kitted. Full contact. Full on.

From UCD's kick-off, the Admirals make huge ground on the return. Right off their first drive, they score, quarterback John Kenny pinging a pass of over 50 yards wide right, which Dave Barry catches to earn a touchdown. Following the restart, UCD's first pass is intercepted by Admirals' defensive back Kit O'Keefe, who darts through the scattered UCD offense, under the protection of Peter Lucey, all the way to the end zone. UCD head coach John Collins is in for a long afternoon.

The league here is run by the Irish American Football Association (IAFA). The season runs from March to the Shamrock Bowl, which is on August 8 this year.

There are 11 teams this season in the league, which is divided into three divisions: North, Central and South. The IAFA also run a developmental league, known as the DV8s, where new teams field eight-a-side teams, instead of the regular 11. The UCD team spent last year in the DV8s, before coming up to mix it with the big boys this season. Although the team is inexperienced, Collins is not, having completed the IAFA's level-two coaching course, as well as taking courses in the US. He played with a number of Dublin teams during his career before a knee injury forced him into retirement. He took up his current position as UCD head coach this year. "It's a matter of, as a new team, getting everybody together to practice", says Collins. "A lot of these guys are rookies. But here we are."

The game in Ireland has endured its fair share of ups and downs in the last 20 years. Originally gaining popularity off the back of TV coverage of the National Football League on Channel 4 in the 1980s, the first organised game was played in 1986. Later that year, the Craigavon Cowboys won the inaugural Shamrock Bowl.

The sport gained some popularity but, according to Cillian Smith, league secretary and IAFA board member, things were a bit haphazard at the time. "Although there were a number of well-organised teams, there was disorganisation in the league," says Smith. "Some of the better teams, such as the Cowboys, and the Dublin Celts, even played in tournaments in Europe."

In spite of this, the game started to peter out in the late 1990s, and there was no league played at all in 2000. Then, it was revived by a number of people who wanted to start over. "People wanted to bring it back, but do it correctly; get Irish Sports Council recognition, get affiliated with the European federation, and set up proper clubs", says Smith. The revamped league was launched in 2001 with four teams, and has since gone from strength to strength.

Most teams accept new members, training them up from scratch. The DV8s programme, meanwhile, helps new teams get off the ground, and teaches their rookie players the rules and technical aspects of the game. There are currently three new teams in development, in Tullamore, Carlow, and Erris in Co Mayo.

The IAFA is also in receipt of funding from the ISC and invests these funds in areas that will encourage participation in, and development of, the sport. They do this by way of coaching seminars, courses to train referees and linesmen, and the ever-growing area of flag football. Similar to tag rugby, flag football is a non-contact game suitable for children and adults alike.

"We run a schools programme for flag football in the midlands, providing equipment and coaching. We're hoping to start a new schools programme in the Craigavon area, and expand it to other areas across the country," says Smith.

Adults can get involved in any number of flag football clubs which organise occasional tournaments. Last year saw Belfast play host to a European Flag Football tournament, with Denmark and Austria winning the men's and women's titles.

Safety is also a priority, with ambulance crews present at all league games. "Since we restarted in 2001, we've been very safety conscious," Smith stresses. "There's a lot less serious injuries, and a lot of this is down to coaches' certification -- players are properly coached, so they know not to go into tackles in dangerous positions."

Stephen Howett of the St John's Ambulance, who works at the games, sees no more risk in American football than other sports. "We mainly do rugby games, where there'd be more upper body injuries, which you don't get here with the padding," he says.

As a result of investing in these areas, the association is not focusing on the currently-defunct Irish national team, which is a costly area. But Ireland is still involved in international competition in the form of the Atlantic Cup. Run by EFAF, the European federation, it involves club champions from Ireland, Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg. As Shamrock Bowl champions, UL Vikings will represent Ireland this year, with the tournament being held in Dublin in June.

Vikings head coach Ciaran O'Sullivan is targeting victory in the tournament and after winning his first game of the year is also looking forward to the domestic season. "It's a constant challenge, but that's what's great about it," says O'Sullivan. "Every year it's a new challenge, coming up with new schemes, as well as teaching absolute beginners. Every year you start fresh, which lends to being successful I think, because you can't get complacent."

If the Vikings do succeed in winning the Atlantic Cup, they will go one better than the Dublin Rebels, who did "a cracking job" last year, according to O'Sullivan, reaching the final.

Rebels defender Andrew Flynn played in that final, against Belgian side West Flanders Tribes, which took place in Brussels. The Dubliners came back from 15-0 down at half-time, to narrowly lose 15-13.

Flynn has been playing the game since co-founding the Rebels in 1995. "It's a game that requires both mental and physical attributes in order to win," he says. "It's a hard hitting, high impact game, and the intensity of the hitting and tackling is unmatched by any sport I have played in my time."

Back at Belfield, that intensity is plain to see. But despite some fierce, ironclad tackles, UCD trail 28-0 at half-time. Collins has some harsh words for his players. It seems to have an effect, as they put in a much better second-half performance. Defensive end Alan Brown sacks (tackles) Kenny in the Admirals' end zone early in the third quarter for two points --their first points in the league. In the end, the Admirals run out 34-2 winners.

Collins is nevertheless optimistic. "The aim this season is to win a minimum of two games. We will get there eventually, but that's the goal right now." It's early days, but Collins already reckons on a Rebels-Vikings final. "I see them as being on a level above everyone else."

- Andrew Cosgrave

Originally published in