For the first time since 2001 there will be no game or exhibition on the All-Star tour, instead the GAA have opted to focus on coaching the local children in Philadelphia.
On Thursday morning, just 14 inter-county players departed for the trip to America, the absence of the game or exhibition means that a much smaller number of personnel is required for the annual tour.
"We just took a different direction, we put the focus on coaching the local kids this year," Alan Milton, GAA Director of Communications told the Irish Independent.
"We decided there was more merit in it, as the scorelines from previous years had suggested that whatever competitive streak that was in it previously was no longer there," Milton said.
"So in terms of an exhibition for people, we felt the time of the players would be better used trying to promote the games to youngster and there'll be over 110 kids in the Limerick Field Complex outside Philadelphia on Saturday morning."
The alternative focus raises questions about the future of the tour as the Fenway Classic in Boston and the Wild Geese Trophy in Sydney featured in the 2018 calendar.
