The game kicks off at 2pm, with free entry for all, as well as food, a bar, and face painting on the day.
Sunday July 9 promises to be a big day for Limerick American Football, as UL Vikings clash with Louth Mavericks in the final of the AFI Division One Bowl in Garryowen RFC. The game kicks off at 2pm, with free entry for all, as well as food, a bar, and face painting on the day.
The Vikings are having a fantastic year under the guidance of head coach Darragh O’Callaghan, going 8-0 in their regular season, before defeating Dublin Rhinos 35-0 in the semi-final. This season’s success is off the back of a crushing loss to Westmeath Minitours in the 2022 final, where the Vikings fell just two points short.
Quarter-Back Fin O’Donovan, who is one of the offensive captains, is one to watch out for, as is Running Back Aidan Maher, as the pair have both been in fantastic form for the Limerick outfit this year.
The Vikings have previously won three finals in the top division known as the Shamrock Bowl, with wins coming in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and will be hoping to add some more silverware to their cabinet when they clash with the Mavericks, who themselves went 7-1 in the regular season. The Leinster outfit won the title in 2017.
American Football is growing rapidly in Ireland with NCAA Division One college teams, Navy and Notre Dame, facing off in the Aviva Stadium in August. American Football Ireland (AFI) was founded in 1984, and since then the league has grown to having 49 teams spread across three areas of the game; padded, flag and youths. National teams have also been created for these three areas with international matches occurring yearly.
AFI Division One Bowl previous winners:
- 2022- Westmeath Minitours
- 2019 – Craigavon Cowboys
- 2018 – West Dublin Rhinos
- 2017 – Louth Mavericks
- 2016 – Cork Admirals
- 2015 – Waterford Wolves
- 2014 – UCD
- 2013 – North Kildare Reapers
You can follow live updates of the game this Sunday on the UL Vikings Instagram.
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