Antrim star Neil McManus says encouraging people within the city of Belfast to take up hurling will be crucial to the growth of the sport in the Saffron County.
McManus struck a late point as Antrim scored a massive upset over Clare in the opening round of the Allianz League yesterday afternoon at Corrigan Park in west Belfast.
Speaking on Off The Ball this morning, the Cushendall clubman described the city itself as “a huge untapped resource” for Antrim hurling.
“The city is the key to (Antrim hurling) in my opinion. The Glens is always very strong,” he said.
“North Antrim as a whole is a very, very strong and vibrant hurling scene at the minute.
“But the city, you have 300,000 people in the city or there and there abouts, and unfortunately only half of those people are interested in Gaelic Games.
“It is still a huge untapped resource for the level of anticipation we have.”
On the 1-21 to 0-22 win over Clare itself, he added: “At the end of the day it is still just two points in a league campaign. There are four more games to play, but those things are a shot in the arm definitely for hurling as a whole. But those things don’t solve the deep-rooted issues that are still to be untangled.”
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