Sport
UL Vikings – Limerick’s Team Playing America’s Game
UL Vikings – Limerick’s Team Playing America’s Game – The Vikings have had great success in the IAFL going undefeated 3 times in 2007, 2011 and 2012. After losing in their first 2 Shamrock Bowl appearances, the Vikings won their first ever Shamrock Bowl in 2007 after going undefeated for the season and they went on to beat the Cork Admirals in the Championship game held at UL.
UL Vikings – Limerick’s Team Playing America’s Game
By I Love Limerick correspondent Jordan Mac Cormaic
The NFL is one of the most popular and profitable sports leagues in the world. American football is the most watched sport in America by far and the league’s flagship game, the Super Bowl is consistently one of the most-watched sporting events every year.
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Personally, I am a huge fan of American Football, I regularly watch NFL games and I support the Chargers. The sport’s speed, athleticism and intensity are truly like no other and there are few moments in sports more exciting than a game-winning touchdown.
Outside of the States, American football and the NFL don’t have a huge following. The sport is thought of as ‘rugby with pads and helmets’ in Europe and the only time people outside of America really watch NFL is the Super Bowl.
The Irish American Football League (IAFL) is trying to change this. The league was formed in 1984 and currently consists of 22 teams playing in 2 conferences. The league has its own version of the Super Bowl, aptly named The Shamrock Bowl.
Limerick’s team in the IAFL are the University of Limerick Vikings. The Vikings were established in 1999 to play mostly flag football before they joined the IAFL in 2001. In the Vikings first season, they lost their first four games but on December 2, 2001, the team recorded their first ever win 12-8 against the Dublin Dragons in Limerick.
Since that rocky start, the Vikings have had great success in the IAFL going undefeated 3 times in 2007, 2011 and 2012. After losing in their first 2 Shamrock Bowl appearances, the Vikings won their first ever Shamrock Bowl in 2007 after going undefeated for the season and they went on to beat the Cork Admirals in the Championship game held at UL.
The UL Vikings went on to win two more consecutive Shamrock Bowls in 2008 and 2009. In 2008 the team lost only one game to the Dublin Rebels their fierce rivals who they would go on to play against in the Shamrock Bowl that year. The Vikings beat the Rebels in a nail biting 14-12 championship game after a decisive blocked field goal late in the 4th quarter.
The Vikings and Rebels would have a Shamrock Bowl rematch in 2009 as the top two seeded teams in the league. In a close, physical game the score was tied at 6-6 after 4 quarters meaning the Shamrock Bowl would go into overtime for the first time ever. After a huge interception by UL cornerback JP Nerburn, the Vikings won their third consecutive Shamrock Bowl with a game winning Field Goal.
The Vikings would make it to the Shamrock Bowl two more times in 2010 and 2011 and played their fiercest rivals, the Dublin Rebels in both games but unfortunately lost both times bringing the teams’ head to head Shamrock Bowl record to 2-2.
Since then the Vikings haven’t made it to the Shamrock Bowl despite having successful league-winning seasons. The team are looking to change that this year as they are currently undefeated this season going 5-0.
In their most recent game, the Vikings defeated their bitter rivals the Rebels 28-22 with two rushing touchdowns from quarterback Raymond Burke. The teams will play once again in the final game of the regular season before the playoffs. The UL Vikings next game is against the Belfast Trojans on June 11th as the Vikes look to make it six wins out of six.
The UL Vikings are one of Ireland’s best teams and are at the forefront of making American football a global sport. If you have any interest in the sport or the team, be sure to watch the Vikes’ next home game at the UL Sports Fields and support Limerick’s team playing America’s game.
To visit the official UL Vikings Facebook page click here
To read more Limerick sports stories click here
