Tribe want underage teams in Leinster

GALWAY hurling officials will soon sit down with their Leinster counterparts to see if their underage sides can also play in the province.

Galway’s move to the Leinster championship three years ago was solely for their senior side but moves are soon to begin to have the Tribesmen’s minor and U21 also participate there.

The initial three-year stay in Leinster was extended by a Congress decision which does not allow for the championship to be altered until after 2013. Galway hurling board chairman Joe Byrne said discussions would soon begin regarding their underage sides.

“At the moment we are committed to being in Leinster until 2013 in the senior championship,” he said.

“We are committed to having discussions with Leinster officials in the next month to discuss options for our participation in minor and U21.

“When we went into Leinster we agreed a three-year deal, but that was superseded by a ruling at Congress last year which decided that the All-Ireland series would stay in its current format until 2013.”

Byrne said that a central plank of extending their stay in Leinster at senior level was the playing of championship games in Galway.

“I don’t think there is any possibility of having games in Galway before 2013, but after that we can certainly look for home and away venues,” said Byrne.