A major Irish American football event is due to be held in Belfast tomorrow as US sports continue to increase in popularity in the north.
Four of the best teams from Northern Ireland and the Republic will face off in the city to determine who will compete in Ireland's 'Superbowl' - the Shamrock Bowl - next month.
It will be the first time since 2009 that a major Irish American Football event will be held outside of Dublin.
The Shamrock Bowl Conference semi-finals will take place at Belfast Harlequins Club, the home of the Belfast Trojans.
They will take on University of Limerick Vikings, while the Dublin Rebels will face Trinity College.
With the sport enjoying a boom period in both participation and support across Ireland, the Belfast Trojans are thrilled to give sports fans an opportunity to watch the game on their home turf.
Barry Keil from the Belfast Trojans said: "I think that once people hear the crack of those helmets and pads coming together on a big hit they'll really understand what this game is all about.
"These are the playoffs and for these four teams, everything is on the line. You can be sure that this will be no holds barred, high collision football."
The event gets underway at midday with Dublin Rebels v Trinity College, Dublin kicking off at 1pm and University of Limerick Vikings v Belfast Trojans starting at 4pm.
The Shamrock Bowl final will be held in Dalymount Park, Dublin on August 9.
It comes at a time when American sports continue to grow in popularity in the north.
While the Belfast Northstars baseball club has been in existence for almost 20 years, the sport has taken off in the city this year with the establishment of two more teams - the Hornets and Bucs.
There is now, for the first time, a northern division of Baseball Ireland, a purpose-built baseball facility is taking shape at Hydebank, and last month Belfast hosted its first ever international
baseball tournament.
David Mote from Tonbridge Baseball Club described the tournament as a "fantastic learning experience".
"They have worked really hard to build something from nothing and deserve our support," he said.
Belfast Northstars' head coach Jon Carter said the club was continuing to work hard to engage with the public and raise awareness of the second most popular and played team sport in the world.
