2025 Global Ireland Football Tournament
3:00 PM Hun School vs. NFL Academy
6:30 PM Kiski School vs. Jr. Irish Wolfhounds
The Global Ireland Football Tournament (G.I.F.T.) dates back to 2012, when 12 teams decided to travel to the Emerald Isle and showcase their talents. The event was declared an unprecedented success as more than 13,000 spectators flocked to three venues to enjoy the spectacle of high school and college American football teams, bands, cheerleaders and dancers in action in a special Dublin Friday Night Lights event organized by Global Football.
The 2025 event is set to take place in Dublin for the sixth time, having successfully ran in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2023, and 2024. The tournament has now welcomed 36 different American Football teams, from 13 states and four nations. It runs alongside the FBS opener the Aer Lingus College Football Classic and provides student-athletes with a week’s worth of cultural and experiential learning activities, mixed with practices, a pep rally, parade and global media coverage.
This year’s 2025 American Football teams are:
The Hun School is a private coeducational, secondary boarding school located in Princeton, New Jersey. The school serves students from sixth through twelfth grades, and was founded in 1914. This will be the first time that the Hun School has participated in the tournament.
The Kiski School is an independent, college-preparatory boarding school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania. The school educates students in grades nine-twelve, along with a post-graduate (PG) year. Founded in 1888, the school enrolls international students from 23 different countries. This will be the first time that the Kiski School has participated in the tournament.
The NFL Academy is an elite football development program for student-athletes. It looks to combine full-time education with transformative life skills and character development. The NFL Academy has two campuses, one in Loughborough’s world-renowned centre of sporting excellence. The second is located on the Gold Coast, Australia, and the program is delivered in partnership with A.B. Paterson College. This will be the second time that the NFL Academy has participated in the tournament.
The AFI JR Irish Wolfhounds, Ireland U19, are the National Youth team of Ireland. The team was implemented with the goal to represent AFI and Ireland at the International level. This programme brings together the most experienced coaches in Ireland at each position to provide focused and advanced training to elite players at both the senior and youth level. This will be the third time that the Wolfhounds have participated in the tournament.
