Ronan McGinley says the New York footballers are increasingly relying on home-grown talent due to the crackdown on long-term visas from Donald Trump's administration.

Speaking to RTÉ ahead of Sunday’s Connacht SFC opener against Roscommon at Gaelic Park, the New York manager explained: "Over a few years everyone knows the visa situation, and the old pathway of players coming out from Ireland, I’ve seen a significant drop-off in that compared to when I came out originally.

"So New York, for their long-term, have to source players here."

The Tyrone man continued: "I’d say the majority of younger people in Ireland, if they’re looking to travel or work in a different country, Australia seems to be the bigger draw.

"And not just this particular presidential term, over the last couple of terms, there has been a tightening up on visas, getting visas, the eligibility of them. And particularly the longer-term ones. A lot of lads we see coming out now are on a J1 visa, that typically lasts a year, maybe 18 months. So you’re getting that player for a year.

"The longer-term visa, the three-year one, is a tougher ask. It’s more of a lottery. It so just so happens this is the time of year the three-year lottery is selected, that’s in the background. Football is a great outlet and everything else, but it’s small potatoes to life choices they have coming up."

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