Press pack shamrock Bowl XXIV american football – Tallaght Stadium

The Shamrock Bowl is the Championship game of the Irish American Football League (IAFL). Shamrock Bowl XXIV is taking place at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday 7^th August, 2010, kick-off 2pm.

Shamrock Bowl XXIV is being run as a family orientated event aimed at people who may never have attended a live game before. Spectators will be able to experience the unique atmosphere of a major American football game - watching on television does not compare with seeing the athleticism and hearing the hitting first hand. The event will also feature live match commentary, a marching band (Tallaght Youth Band) and a demonstration from kids participating in the flag football schools programme.

The event is being run with the support and assistance of South Dublin County Council, who own and operate Tallaght Stadium, which is a modern 6,000 seat venue.

Tickets are available from any Ticketmaster outlet nationwide or online at www.ticketmaster.ie. A ticket booth will also operate beside the stadium on game day.

The IAFL is Ireland’s national American football league. Eleven teams contested the 2010 season, which commenced in March – Belfast Trojans, Carrickfergus Knights, Cork Admirals, Craigavon Cowboys, DCU Saints, Dublin Dragons, Dublin Rebels, Trinity College, UCD, Univ Limerick Vikings & West Dublin Rhinos.

Event Manager: Maurice Cosgrave 087-6796447 maurice@americanfootball.ie

West Dublin Rhinos 8-6 Cork Admirals.

Univ. Limerick Vikings 20-0 Carrickfergus Knights

Dublin Rebels 65-0 West Dublin Rhinos
Recent Shamrock Bowl Results:

2009 - XXIII (Belfast) UL Vikings 9-6 Dublin Rebels (sudden death overtime).

2008 - XXII (Cork) UL Vikings 14-12 Dublin Rebels

2007 - XXI (Limerick) UL Vikings 22-14 Cork Admirals

2006 - XX (Dublin) Dublin Rebels 44-12 UL Vikings

2005 - XIX (Belfast) Dublin Rebels 26-19 Belfast Bulls

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  The IAFL has 11 teams in various parts of the country. A twelfth team, Tullamore Phoenix, is expected to join for 2011.
  
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  The Irish American Football Association has approx. 1,200 members spanning kitted football, flag football, coaching, officiating and administration. Membership has increased 10 fold in the past decade.
  
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  The IAFA was constituted as a National Governing Body in 2001 and received Irish Sports Council recognition in 2004.
  
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  The IAFA is the only National Governing Body in Ireland which had its Irish Sports Council grant increased in 2010.
  
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  The IAFA is a member of the European Federation of American Football (EFAF) and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).
  
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  There are 30 national leagues in Europe, with c.120,000 registered players
  
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  The first Shamrock Bowl was played in 1986 and was won by Craigavon Cowboys.
  
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  Most recent Shamrock Bowls have been very close games. In five of the last six years, there has been 1 converted touchdown or less between the teams. Last years game was decided by a field goal in sudden death overtime.
  
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  If the Dublin Rebels win, they will become the first team to win six Shamrock Bowls. They are currently tied with the Dublin Celts on 5 wins.
  
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  If the UL Vikings win, they will become the third team to win four consecutive Shamrock Bowls.
  
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  American football in Irelands is played using EFAF rules, which are based on NCAA rules i.e. those used in top level college football in the USA.
  
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  While a typical IAFL team will have 2-3 American players, the vast majority of players in the league are Irish residents who took up the sport in Ireland.
  
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  An average IAFL team will have c.35-40 players on its roster.
  
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  Reflecting our multicultural society, players born in 20 overseas countries have played in the IAFL in recent years.
  
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  There are 2 players recruited from the IAFL currently playing College Football in the USA – Conor Lecky (West Liberty University, former Carrickfergus Knight) & Glenn Baker (Mount Ida College, former Cork Admiral).
  

Week		Away Team		Score			Home Team		Venue
2	Mar 21	West Dublin Rhinos		0	@	48		Dublin Rebels	Sportslink, Santry, 1pm (Report)
3	Mar 28	Dublin Rebels		39	@	6		Trinity College	TCD Sports Grounds, 12pm (Report)
4	Apr 11	Dublin Rebels		40	@	6		DCU Saints	DCU Sports Ground, 2pm (Report)
9	May 16	Trinity College		0	@	55		Dublin Rebels	Sportslink, Santry, 2pm (Report)
10	May 23	Dublin Rebels		28	@	19		UL Vikings	UL Sports Grounds, Limerick, 2pm (Report)
12	Jun 6	DCU Saints		0	@	49		Dublin Rebels	Sportslink, 2pm
14	Jun 20	Carrickfergus Knights		13	@	32		Dublin Rebels	Sportslink, Santry, 2pm
15	Jul 4	Dublin Rebels		48	@	0		West Dublin Rhinos	Castleknock College, 5pm

Week		Away Team		Score			Home Team		Venue
1	Mar 14	UL Vikings		56	@	0		University College Dublin	ALSAA, Dublin Airport, 1pm (Report)
3	Mar 28	Dublin Dragons		0	@	70		UL Vikings	UL Sports Grounds, Limerick, 1pm
4	Apr 11	UL Vikings		16	@	14		Carrickfergus Knights	Carrickfergus Rugby Club, Woodburn, 2pm (Report)
6	Apr 25	Cork Admirals		12	@	12		UL Vikings	UL Sports Grounds, Limerick, 2pm (Report)
9	May 16	UL Vikings		70	@	6		Dublin Dragons	Lucan Community College, 2pm
10	May 23	Dublin Rebels		28	@	19		UL Vikings	UL Sports Grounds, Limerick, 2pm (Report)
13	Jun 13	UL Vikings		27	@	6		Cork Admirals	CIT Stadium, Cork, 2pm
14	Jun 20	University College Dublin		0	@	30		UL Vikings	UL Sports Grounds, Limerick, 2pm

Jun 26	Dudelange Dragons (LUX)		14	@	58		UL Vikings	Belfield, 2pm
Jun 27	Lelystad Commanders (NETH)		18	@	19		UL Vikings	FINAL, 2pm