Samsung Electronics Canada is taking the field now that the NFL is finally making its much-anticipated debut north of the 49th parallel.

The Mississauga, ON-based electronics biggie is set to sponsor today’s pre-season game, which pits the Buffalo Bills against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as a regular-season game on December 7, when the Bills play the Miami Dolphins.

To rev up excitement for today’s game, the Samsung Bills Toronto Kickoff Party was staged in Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square yesterday, at which Samsung was positioned as the games’ official mobile phone. The event featured an autograph session with Bills and Steelers alumni, a chance to be one of the first to try EA’s Madden NFL ’09 video game, a Buffalo Bills chicken-wing-eating contest and a free performance by Canadian band Hedley.

‘Our recently renewed sponsorship allows us to bring the magic of NFL football to life on Canadian soil,’ says Michelle Sordi, marketing manager at Samsung Electronics Canada. The company’s sponsorship came as an extension of a multi-year contract signed last year making Samsung the official HDTV of the NFL. Part of the deal involves the use of the brand’s HDTVs in the coaches’ booths to relay information to the field.

As previously reported by MiC, Toronto-based Insight Sports inked a deal in March to become the official sponsorship agency of the Bills Toronto Series, which features two more Bills pre-season games to be played in Toronto over the next four years.