Three clubs opt out of EY qualifying

Three of Ireland’s leading non-EY Hockey League clubs have opted out from attempting to qualify for next year’s tournament, it has emerged.

Hockey Ireland this week revealed the draw for the EYHL provincial playoffs, beginning April 15. Eight-team tournaments will take place on both the men’s and women’s side, with automatic qualification for the 2017/18 edition for the winners, while the runners-up get a shot at a playoff against the league’s ninth-placed team.

But Munster women’s champions Catholic Institute, Ulster men’s runners-up Kilkeel and Leinster men’s third-placed finishers Dublin University have all refused invitations to the playoffs.