Dublin City Council partners with Chiefs for park sports hub

Dublin City Council Partners with Kansas City Chiefs for New Park Sports Hub

Dublin City Council has announced an exciting new partnership with the American football giants, the Kansas City Chiefs, designed to make sports more accessible while introducing more Dubliners to the game of American football. As part of this initiative, American footballs have been added to twenty Equip Sport stations located in parks throughout the city. Residents can now access these stations using the Equip Sport mobile app.

Daryl Barron, Lord Mayor of Dublin, expressed his delight at collaborating with such a global sports giant. He noted that with the annual US college football game taking place each August in Dublin and the first-ever NFL game last year, American football is growing in popularity within the country. "This equipment is there to be used, so I would encourage all Dubliners to pay a visit to your local park and get practising your touchdowns!", he said.

The Chiefs represent the first NFL club to launch a dedicated Equip Sport programme of this scale in an international market. This move further demonstrates the club's commitment to growing the game in Ireland and creating meaningful opportunities for local communities to engage with sport. Mark Donovan, President of the Chiefs, stated: "Equip Sport represents a new way for us to connect with communities across Ireland. By removing barriers to participation and making sports equipment freely available, we're creating opportunities for more people to get active, spend time outdoors, and experience American football firsthand."

Accessing the equipment is simple: users must locate a nearby station, download the Equip Sport app, and unlock the equipment for free. The platform also provides information about the sport and instructional resources for new players.

Henry Hodgson, NFL UK & Ireland GM, praised the initiative as an exciting addition to the NFL's ongoing efforts to create opportunities for young people in Ireland. "Since the 2025 NFL Dublin Game we have seen the appetite for young people participating in NFL Flag grow, and this initiative to help make the sport more accessible is critical to continue that," he added.

The launch event took place at Le Fanu Park in Ballyfermot, where Lord Mayor Daryl Barron was joined by the Chiefs' iconic mascot, KC Wolf. Photos of the event were captured by Conor McCabe Photography.