Interprovincial football final is Boston bound

The GAA have confirmed that the Martin Donnelly Interprovincial football final will be played in Boston on October 21 next.

The 2006 decider is heading stateside following the success of the last year's hurling final, which was played in the American city.

October's football final will form part of a huge weekend for GAA fans in Boston with the winners of the summer's Christy Ring and Tommy Murphy Cups playing against US opponents in the city on the same weekend.

With more than 40 teams registered in the city and in excess of 1,700 players, Boston is one of the strongholds of GAA in America.

In July, Boston will play host to the 3rd Annual Intercontinental Youth Championships when around 1,000 youngsters from cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Toronto and New York will travel to the city to participate in the largest youth festival of Gaelic games outside of Ireland.

The headquarters of the Boston GAA are situated at Canton Field, a 46-acre site opened for the Irish community in 1999 by then GAA president Joe McDonagh and Minister Dermot Ahern.

Last year in excess of 3,000 people attended the M Donnelly Interprovincial Hurling final between Leinster and Munster at Canton.

Meanwhile, the GAA have rubberstamped Kilkenny as the venue for next year's Annual Congress. It will take place over the weekend of April 13/14.