Officials from America's National Football League are set to visit Croke Park this Friday to assess the stadium to decide whether or not it is suitable to host their games.

American Football's top chiefs have had Dublin on their radar as they plan to play to play their games in Europe in order to develop their brand in across the Atlantic, with many European cities understood to be bidding for such ties, and last night Croke Park Stadium Director Peter McKenna revealed that they are close to finalising a formal bid.

"That story is very timely. We are hosting a delegation on Friday from the NFL. We have been looking at this issue (hosting a regular season game) for some time and have been very encouraged by the huge support we have received from US Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney, who is also chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers in recent months," Mr McKenna told the Irish Examiner.

Should Croke Park be successful in their bid, Mr McKenna believes that that there will be massive economic potential from such games.

"This is not just about Croke Park, this is about Ireland," he stated. "We are used to hosting large events in this country, like the Volvo Ocean Race and the Ryder Cup. So we would be perfectly capable of hosting a regular season NFL game.

"But this represents a tremendous opportunity for Croke Park, Dublin and for Ireland in terms of tourism, publicity and revenue generation."

Last month saw NFL owners vote to add a second foreign game to the league's season to coincide with the London fixture which was first played in 2007. In 2005, the NFL went abroad for the first time when it brought its games to Mexico city, but Wembley Stadium has been the venue on the last five occasions. Tweet

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