IFAF European Flag Football Championships: A sort of homecoming in Limerick

Stepping out onto the flag football pitches at the University of Limerick will be a sort of homecoming for Ireland slot receiver and linebacker Kelly Dwyer. She will be on home ground in more than just the sense that her nation is hosting the 2023 IFAF European Flag Football Championships.

Originally from just an hour away in County Tipperary, Kelly first discovered American football at the university, which led to her beginning a journey not only in flag football, but in officiating and administration as she serves as a member of the American Football Ireland board of management.

“I certainly consider Limerick my home field,” says Kelly, who was an ardent supporter of the Limerick Vikings men’s tackle team while studying at the University of Limerick, rarely missing a home game. “It’s not only a home tournament for me because it’s Ireland, it’s a home tournament in a better and bigger way.

“When I went to that first Vikings game to go and watch I just never thought that ten years later I’d be playing on the same fields in the European Championships, so it’s very surreal. It’s pretty amazing. I was definitely very invested in it from then on and I suppose I became like a super fan of that team.”

Read the full article at americanfootball.sport.