Galway's latest trip to New York to play the Exiles in the FBD Connacht League final is expected to cost their county board in excess of EUR30,000. And combined with last year's trip to the Big Apple, the county's coffers will have been hit for over EUR60,000. Galway football board chairman John Joe Holleran admitted: "It's a drain. It's costly. It hits our bank balance. "You couldn't call it a bonding week either because too many fellas are not able to go for one reason or another." The Connacht Council, New York board and sponsors FBD contribute in the region of EUR25,000 to the trip, but Galway have to come up with the balance themselves, which is believed to be over EUR30,000. "It's not like a gravy-train where there's a prize at the end of it - a trip to America," Holleran continued. "There's a prize with a contribution towards it, but it is costly. We've been in the final three or four times in the last five or six years. "I know the officials from the Connacht Council will probably say just bring 26 or 27 (players). It's okay to say that but it's impossible to do that. You cannot do that. "I suppose it's a good competition in the sense that it gives you football at the start of the year, and then the winners go to America. "It has to be important for the GAA out there. If they hadn't something like that, they'd have nothing to look forward to. It raises the morale a bit out there." The Galway party will fly out on Thursday for the final which takes place in Gaelic Park on Sunday. Tweet

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