Irish Gaelic Footballers Are Finding College and NFL Kicking Careers

Paddy McAteer’s 60-yard field goal for Indiana was more than a big kick. It was a vivid example of how Gaelic football is supplying American college teams with a new stream of specialist talent. The Northern Ireland native’s boot helped the No. 4 Hoosiers beat Minnesota, and his rise reflects a pipeline that has grown quickly since 2022.

From Gaelic pitches to U.S. rosters

Alabama, Ole Miss, Florida State, North Carolina, Maryland, Rutgers and Boston College are among the schools with Irish-born players in their special teams units. Some had only taken up American football kicking in the past few years, inspired in part by Charlie Smyth, who made 12 field goals for the New Orleans Saints in 2025. Smyth learned from Tadhg Leader, a Galway native and former Canadian Football League kicker. Leader grew up playing rugby, became interested in American football during the COVID-19 pandemic, then returned to Ireland and started Leader Kicking in 2022. The nonprofit identifies Gaelic footballers with kicking potential and helps them pursue opportunities in the United States. The athletic overlap is practical. Gaelic players routinely kick a leather ball heavier than an American football, and strong kickers are often among their sport’s best athletes. “There’s no kind of as-clear synergy I’d say to my knowledge in other position groups than what we have to kicking,” Leader said. Leader Kicking says 20 Irish athletes are now active in NCAA Division I or the NFL, while its alumni have received more than $3 million in U.S. college scholarships. Alabama kickoff specialist Lorcan Quinn, from Donaghmore in Northern Ireland, worked laying fiber-optic cable and pouring concrete before a local kicking contest helped put him on the path to the SEC. Notre Dame’s two placekickers, despite the school’s name, are both American.

A growing route, with real hurdles

The Irish program follows a model already established in Australia. An academy founded there in 2007 has helped turn Australian rules football players into punters; six current NFL starters are from Australia. Building the same kind of pathway in Ireland brings its own demands. Training on a quiet, wet pitch can’t recreate the pressure of kicking in a packed college stadium thousands of miles away. The transition also involves cultural adjustment. Leader meets with trainees monthly, and those conversations can include practical advice about how to handle their accents in new surroundings. American football’s profile in Ireland is rising. The NFL held its first regular-season game on the island last year and distributed equipment to nearly 1,000 schools. U.S. college teams have also played games in Ireland annually since 2022. For Leader, that attention helps create more points of connection between Irish athletes and American programs.

A competition with a wider purpose

Four Irish prospects are set to kick during halftime of the Northwestern-Iowa game at Ryan Field. The final round follows a competition that began with 1,000 athletes kicking across Ireland; 20 quarterfinalists took part during halftime of the UNC-TCU game in Dublin in August. Leader expects the finalists to attempt field goals from beyond 50 yards. The event also gives organizers a way to assess player and ball tracking technology. That technology is being used in a Notre Dame study of kicking biomechanics, while a feature documentary about the search for a “Kicking King” is in development. Leader Kicking has backing from Ryan Sports Ventures and sponsors including FM, Delta, Meta, Amazon Web Services and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. RSV has connections in sports technology and media, and the Ryan family has interests in the Chicago Bears and AFC Bournemouth, as well as serving as lead donor for Northwestern’s new football stadium, Ryan Field. “Our goal for this year was to make as big of a program as possible to get as much awareness as possible,” said RSV partner Paul Hourigan. He said the next step is to raise philanthropic and corporate support for a more sustainable platform. The longer-term plans include endowed scholarships, a dedicated training site, and more counseling and education for players. For now, Leader is still driving around Ireland to find the next prospect. The program’s next test is whether that growing pool of talent can turn promising kicks into durable college and professional careers.