A high school football academy, home to the world-renowned NFL Player Pathway program , is jetting to Ireland for the first time to take part in a "historic" sports event.
IMG Academy, a boarding high school in Bradenton, Florida , traveled to Europe for the third time in three years this week to compete in the Global Ireland Football Tournament (G.I.F.T.) along with five other high schools from the US.
While in Dublin , players and staff will attend the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. It comes as American football’s popularity grows in the Emerald Isle , with more professional teams scheduling in-season games overseas.
Kyle Brey, Director of Football and former varsity head coach, told IrishStar.com what the opportunity means to the student-athletes. The 37-year-old explained: "When we land, we'll check our players into the UCD dorms where they're staying for the duration of the trip. After that, we'll have a practice then enjoy a tour of Malahide Castle .
"We're then attending the G.I.F.T pep rally in Merrion Square. Friday will be our game against Texas , after which we'll go to St Stephen's Green for an award banquet. It will then be Aviva Stadium for the college football game .
"We're so excited to experience Irish culture and tour some of the amazing historical sites . We've done a lot of international travel and it's incredible to be able to sight-see and give players a taste of playing abroad."
IMG Academy has hosted the NFL Player Pathway Program on its campus for the last two years. This is the same program that Ireland’s Louis Rees-Zammit went through, leading him to join the Kansas City Chiefs .
"We love having the players on our campus, training on our fields, and using our facilities ," Brey went on. "We want to continue aligning ourselves with the NFL program and grow the game globally, which is why we take these trips.
"It's amazing here at the IMG Academy. Not only do we have college athletes being evaluated, but NFL assistant coaches evaluate international player pathway players , so we're housing both entities at the same time.
"At the IMG Academy, we have 23 players active in the NFL on NFL rosters and we've only played football for 11 years. We have more players in the NFL than years playing the game. That's an incredible statistic."
The Academy joins thousands of supporters have flown to the Irish capital for the sell-out Aer Lingus College Football Classic Game between George Tech and Florida State University on Saturday, August 24.
Georgia Tech returns to Dublin for a second visit following their victory against Boston College in 2016, while this game will be the first on Irish soil for Florida State University.
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Tánaiste Micheál Martin said: "We are pleased to welcome fans from both teams to Dublin , with some 25,000 American spectators expected to travel. We hope will experience a warm Irish welcome . Good luck to both teams."
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