Super Bowl winners join Belfast pupils' flag football session ahead of NFL's Ireland debut at Croke Park

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Some famous faces from American football left fans in Belfast starstruck during a stop-off in the city.

Two former Super Bowl winners were at a flag football session ahead of the first ever NFL game hosted in Ireland this weekend, when the Minnesota Vikings face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin on Sunday.

And ahead of the match, a special event was held at Colin Glen in west Belfast.

The entourage included Ike Taylor and Jerome Bettis, who were part of the Steelers' Super Bowl-winning sides.

Also present were Steelers president Art Rooney II and his son Dan, vice president of business development and strategy.

The Rooney family trace their roots to Newry in Co Down. Arthur Rooney founded the team in 1933 after the family emigrated from Ireland in the 1800s.

The ex-players helped children from local schools in an introductory session in flag football -- a non-contact version of American football, without the trademark shoulder pads and helmets, often used to introduce younger players to the game.

In attendance were St Joseph's Primary School, Breda Academy, Belfast Model School for Girls, St Louise's College, Belfast Boys' Model School, Mercy College, St John the Baptist's College, Lagan College and Bunscoil Phobal Feirste primary.

Coaches took them through a number of plays, such as flag attacks, defensive back drills, wide receiver gauntlets and more.

Taylor was a cornerback with the Steelers, winning Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks in 2006 and Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals in 2009.

Bettis, meanwhile, was a running back with the Steelers side that won Super Bowl XL in 2006.

Rooney Jr said he was thrilled to be back in his ancestral homeland, with plans to head to the family's home county of Down.

"I'm really excited to be in Belfast," he said.

"Today we have Jerome Bettis, our Hall of Fame running back, and Ike Taylor, our Super Bowl champion cornerback. They are teaching the game of American football to the youth, and we couldn't be more excited.

"We are excited to just teach our game, with the game being played at Croke Park on Sunday. The Irish fans are going to see how exciting out sport really is."

Taylor, meanwhile, said he was excited to be on the island of Ireland and expressed his fondness of the accent.

"This is actually the first time I have been here. I love your accents -- the more you keep talking, the more I get excited about it," he said.

"The country itself, it just feels good [to be here]. [The session] is an introduction to real football.

"For me, growing up, we didn't have flag football. [My] son, who now plays in college, was introduced from flag football.

"What I like about flag football is that you don't have to put on a helmet, and there are no shoulder pads. I love that [flag football] is growing..."

Bettis, meanwhile, recalled being in Ireland in 1997 for a pre-season game.

And he believes this weekend's regular-season clash won't be the last to be staged in Ireland.

He said: "We are here for just about a week. It has been an incredible experience. I come now as an ambassador of the game of football. That has allowed me to play some golf as well.

"Coming as a fan, as a spectator, you get a chance to experience the culture here in Ireland, you get a chance to interact with it more. It is just a wonderful place. The people are fantastic.

"I think this is going to be a recurring affair. I think this is a commitment that the NFL is going to make."

Kevin McBride, a teacher at St Joseph's PS, admitted he was "starstruck".

"There was an email that went out from NFL Flag. It basically was looking for teachers, to see if they wanted to get the accreditation," he said.

"I have an interest in NFL myself and so do some of the children here in the school. It is an incredible opportunity. I was walking through the door with all of these Hall of Famers -- it was an amazing moment."

Nick Mills, head of PE at Mercy College, said: "[The children] are really excited. We picked kids to take part who don't normally go for the school teams, or the conventional route of soccer, football or Gaelic," he said.

"So, they are really excited to take part; it is something different."

The Steelers' entourage later visited Newry, the ancestral home of the Rooney family, meeting with students from Newry High School and St Mary's High School, with a student from each awarded the Dan and Patricia Rooney No Mind Left Behind Scholarship, developed by The Ireland Funds and designed to support young people from schools in socially and economically disadvantaged areas to attend university.

An estimated 30,000 international fans will travel to Dublin for the NFL tie.

It is also expected to attract a US TV audience of 17m and will be shown in 200 countries worldwide.