On Tuesday next at the Connacht GAA Air Dome, the New York hurlers will take on Leitrim in the preliminary round of the Connacht Hurling League.
It's the second year that a team from the Big Apple will participate, with 2023 bringing success in the Shield competition. However, New York also have their sights set on being part of the championship structure and with it a place in the Lory Meagher Cup in 2025.
Plans were submitted to Croke Park before Covid hit, so delaying the whole process. A meeting with Galway hurling development officials in 2022 got the ball rolling again, eventually paving the way for entry into the Connacht League.
In advance of New York again playing on Irish soil, their manager Eamon Fitzgerald outlined where things are currently at with regard to Lory Meagher acceptance.
"Back in September we had a meeting with Croke Park and put a presentation together for them on why we feel we should enter the competition," he told RTÉ Sport.
"We gave them different formats on how it would work. The way the competition is at the moment is that six teams compete and they play each other in a round-robin basis. Something like that would not be suitable for New York from a financial point of view. Our job was to come up with a format as to how the competition would be structured. The meeting with Croke Park was positive enough, so we're very hopeful.
"Can we get a committment from the players here? There is a massive committment when you're playing for New York; players travel long distances to get to training. Last year we competed in the Connacht League and had a very successful trip. That is a positive."
Naturally, Fitzgerald feels that participation in the Lory Meagher will be a benefit to New York GAA and keep youngsters involved.
"You have over 2,500 kids playing, so it's vital to keep it going," he added.
"There is a massive Irish community here and great work has been going on for years. I'm only here 16 months and when I got here I didn't know what to expect. There are 60 GAA clubs here in New York; 15 minor board clubs and seven clubs for girls.
"Our U-15s went to the Féile and got to the Division 4 final. Our U-17s had success in a Connacht competition, and at the World Games.
"Getting into the Lory Meagher Cup, the same way the footballers are in the Connacht championship and Tailteann, will be huge in keeping the kids playing the games."
Another boost is the Redmond Park redevelopment project, which will see the first-ever permanent base for underage GAA games in the US city. Costing over $3m [€2.8m], the New York minor board recently secured a license agreement with the City of Yonkers, giving them access to a first home since their 1970 inception.
The new facility will included a full-size pitch, two practice fields, all fully floodlit, as well as ample parking. There will also be an outdoor gym, walking trail and a playground on the park.
A view of the proposed development
Stage one, including the opening of the three pitches, is scheduled for April 2024 with the three-phase project set to be completed by April 2027, The final step will include the construction of a public sidewalk, a clubhouse extension and the installation of a backup generator.
"The three pitches will take a huge amount of pressure off us," said Fitzgerald.
"We have a massive schedule of games that we play in the spring and fall season. More teams will now be able to train, at the moment some teams train in parks. All told it will help juveniles make the transition to senior."
Positive news all round then for New York, with the manager of the senior hurling side thinking big as to what can now be achieved on the field of play.
"We aim to give a good account of ourselves in the Connacht League, we are not thinking beyond Leitrim in game one. It's stepping stones every year and we now want to win the Connacht League. Hopefully we can compete in the Lory Meagher and win that and then make the step up to the Nicky Rackard."
