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Year 6 pupils from Hunslet St Mary's Primary School took part in a workshop hosted by four girls from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the run-up to the 43rd annual Superbowl on Sunday.

Susan Stein, Ayae Hamanata, Lori Rumberg and Marlana Arif taught a class of around 30 pupils how to perform a cheer, including a "high V", a "low V" – and of course, how to celebrate a touchdown.

Pupil Sherriden Hall, 10, said: "I'm really excited about what we're doing. Me and my friends were trying to find the cheerleaders at lunchtime because we made up a routine and wanted to show it to them."

Classmate Dylon Allsopp, also 10, wasn't quite so sure. He said: "I wanted to do it but only if one of my friends would do it with me. It's not as bad as I thought it would be though. I'm quite enjoying it."

Sunday's Superbowl, which is the highlight of the NFL American Football season, will see the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Arizona Cardinals in Florida – the cheerleaders' home state.

For the first time this year, fans in the UK can also watch the match live on both BBC1 and Sky Sports One, which Susan said was a reflection of the growing popularity of American football.

She said: "It's been a surprise to find that people actually know about the NFL and the Superbowl.

"Before now, it wasn't really a known event, so it's definitely getting more popular.

"We came to Leeds to teach some basic moves to the kids, just to give them a taste of what we do on match days."

The 2008 Superbowl was the most-viewed TV programme EVER, with 148.3m fans in the United States tuning in – meaning that more people watched the game than voted in the Presidential election.

The match also attracts a huge number of celebrity fans, with Jennifer Hudson lined up to sing the American national anthem before Sunday's event, as well as a half-time performance from Bruce Springsteen.