A message from Pro Football Ireland founder, Michael McQuaid
Hi folks, how's the form?
Anyone else need the NFL season to start soon? It's hard to believe we are a few short weeks out from the NFL Draft. Pro Football Ireland is six months old in April. It's genuinely insane what we have been able to achieve in such a short time period. From two sold out events in Belfast and Dublin with Jeff Reinebold and Richard Graves to a full accreditation for Super Bowl LVII in Phoenix, Arizona, to meeting so many NFL fans up and down the island - it's been an honour - and I have been humbled by the support that has been shown during this time period. I cannot thank you enough for this - and I won't forget it. A note of thanks to the NFL in the UK and US for their continued support.
I am really pleased with our NFL coverage in our opening months. A sincere thanks to Mark Hogan and Michaela Fagan for their effort and support in this time period. We have added Jason Hayes to the team for the 2023 season and I am very excited to see how our coverage can evolve. When in Phoenix for Super Bowl LVII, Pro Football Ireland worked heavily with Virgin Media Television in Ireland, who showcased the game on terrestrial television. A special thanks to the Virgin Media Sport team for the continued support and opportunity to enhance the output for the Irish viewer/fan.
As we move closer to the 2023 NFL Draft and the start of the football season, Pro Football Ireland has moved to not only focus on the NFL, but to diversify and ensure that we place an onus/importance on the local game in Ireland. In March, we entered into a distribution agreement with the team at The Domestic Game. I can't thank Kelly Dwyer and Joe Kinahan enough for their support. The Domestic Game has integrated into the PFI brand easily, charting in the Irish podcast standings each week as the team release a new episode. Over the years I have really wanted to give a light to the local game - but in the best way, with hosts and analysts that play the game or follow it heavily -- and I am delighted to help take the podcast to the next level. It's been great to see the American Football Ireland season start so well - I am looking forward to getting to a few games over the course of the season.
Our major announcement in April is the launch of the PFI College Football Show. A dedicated college football podcast allows the PFI brand to cement itself as the hub of the NFL, College Football and Domestic Game in Ireland. The PFI College Football Show will run year round, with a weekly presence during the 2023 College Football season. The podcast will be hosted by myself and I am delighted to welcome Daire Carragher [247 Sports, PFF], Michael Lavery [NFL Journalist] and Conall Diggin [Flirt FM, Galway] to the broadcast team as analysts. I believe that we have assembled the best team in Ireland to focus on College Football and the guys will front our College and NFL Draft output for the month of April, starting on Friday, April 7th.
Outside of our college football launch, I am delighted to announce that we will have a live presence on the first night of the Draft on Thursday, April 27th from 11:50PM - going through the entirety of the first round of the draft. The PFI College Football team will lead this output with special guests on the night. The following evening, we will host a Draft Night in Dublin for the second night of the Draft. I am very excited for this as we will have a roundtable discussion on the first night and what to expect on the second night, which will happen during the event.
In short, it's going really well. I am delighted to see the growth of the NFL, College and Domestic Game in Ireland reach new levels over the past few months and I look forward to the next steps with you all.
As always, thank you. You make this happen.
Michael McQuaid
Pro Football Ireland Founder
For commercial opportunities over the Draft period, please email michael@mcqmedia.net or call +447445055437.
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