NFL giants Pittsburgh Steelers to host their first ever 'Kicking Clinic' in Ireland

The upcoming event will provide Irish athletes with coaching tips from former Pittsburgh Steelers players

NFL team Pittsburgh Steelers are set to host their first-ever American football “Kicking Clinic” in Ireland.

The event will be hosted by former Pittsburgh Steelers players and will provide aspiring Irish kickers and punters with real-time coaching and instruction as they look to follow in the footsteps of the Green Bay Packers' Irish-born punter Daniel Whelan.

Former Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham will be in attendance alongside former punter Jordan Berry, as well as Ireland’s Tadhg Leader of Leader Kicking.

READ MORE: Rory Beggan kicking on towards his NFL dream

The Pittsburgh Steelers Kicking Clinic will be held on Tuesday, April 16 at the Sport Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Space is limited and by invitation only.

Leader Kicking will host a series of regional instructional events in March, and athletes who participate in the instructional events could ultimately be invited to April’s Pittsburgh Steelers Kicking Clinic.

Those interested in learning more about how they can participate in the regional instructional events, or April’s Kicking Clinic, are encouraged visit steelersirishkicking.com to sign up or for more information.

There is no charge to participate in the events.

“We are excited to host our first ever ‘Pittsburgh Steelers Kicking Clinic’ on the island of Ireland,” said Dan Rooney, Director of Business Development & Strategy with the Pittsburgh Steelers and former United States Ambassador to Ireland.

“Creating opportunities for local Irish athletes to get first-hand coaching and feedback in the areas of kicking and punting is something we are happy to be able to provide.”

The Kicking Clinic comes after four Irish athletes were included among the 16 participants in this year's NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) programme, an initiative launched by the league to train up promising international prospects and expand the league's global reach.

Monaghan's All-Star goalkeeper Rory Beggan is the most high-profile athlete on the list alongside fellow shotstoppers Mark Jackson from Wicklow and Down's Charlie Smyth, along with Connacht Rugby player Darragh Leader.

The Irish quartet are currently partaking in a training camp at Florida's IMG Academy, at the end of which they will be able to showcase their talents to NFL scouts in March.

Speaking to the Pro Football Ireland Podcast recently, Beggan spoke of his high ambitions of making it in the NFL.

He said: "I don't want to go over there and live two or three years in the practice roster and not make a good chop at it. I want to be in the top 32 kickers in the world. That's why I'm going here. I want to succeed. I want to be the best.

"I wouldn't have made that decision if I wasn't full throttle.

"To make that decision was tough. It was tough. All your friends are at home, playing a sport which is a big part of the community. But when an opportunity like this came around, it's not something you can just put away and hope will come again."

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