Caitlyn Avery, a running back and wide receiver, admits her parents could not believe the trip to Orlando “was actually going to happen” and, indeed, that feeling was shared among some of the players.

“I really liked it when we started playing at break and then Mr Donnelly told us he was trying to get a team,” says Arnie Copeland, the starting quarterback.

“I never thought I’d be playing for Ireland.”

Although most of the squad will move to secondary school later this year, many are keen to keep playing and there are plenty of younger children keen to emulate their success in the coming years.

“These guys are really interested in expanding the game. Some of the parents have been asking already when they go into secondary school will there be opportunities to engage in that,” added Donnelly.

“These guys are really inspiring to the younger kids. When they won, we had a nice celebration with them walking through the hallways and even the younger kids who will be coming through Greenlanes, they’ll all want to experience something like this.

“It’s really great that these guys have shown them what’s possible.”