The pride of representing their province will be the main motivator for the Leinster Football Association going into the 2026 FAI Amateur Inter-Provincial Tournament.

Head Coach Andy McNulty previously played in these games so he knows that the best way to land key messages is early and often, not just waiting until a final rallying call before each game. It is why he has been preaching the same message to his squad.

"There is a pride for your family, your club, your friends, your team-mates..you are going to represent not only yourself but all of those people too. And what I'm trying to encourage the lads to really understand is the importance of these games and how important it is to turn up and perform and hopefully get a positive result because you look back on these games in years to come," said McNulty.

"Even getting into provisional squads is a huge achievement and players should realise how important it is to represent their province. Also, there is no bigger carrot than at the end of this tournament you can go on to represent your country in the UEFA Regions' Cup tournament. So I've reminded the lads of that and the importance of getting through this weekend."

While the long-term target to be Ireland's representative in the 2026 UEFA Regions' Cup qualifiers later this year is firing the Leinster squad up, McNulty knows that they cannot look past their three games over as many days in the FAI Amateur Inter-Provincial Tournament in Donegal.

The hard work has been put in over recent weeks and months with in-house games, trials, training sessions and games (they most recently played the Irish Defence Forces). Now it's a case of game-management and performance.

"We've had some great battles with Munster over the years. Ulster have picked up some really good results over the years. Connacht are always a hard team to beat. As we go into this tournament we are not looking past anybody and we are not taking anyone for granted," said McNulty.

"These are tough games. You're wearing your province on your shirt, so there is a pride there. Nobody wants to be getting beat, nobody wants to go home on the bus on Sunday afternoon without the trophy. Everybody is going to be up for this. It's three days, it's a battle, it's a real war of attrition and who wants it the most."

McNulty believes in collective effort. He credits the support of his staff, the Leinster FA and others in helping to prepare for this tournament and reckons the shared pride in wanting their province to triumph could just be the difference.

Leinster Squad
Goalkeepers: Jason McGuire (North End), Adam Hayden (St Mochta's)
Defenders: Conor Casserly (Gorey Rangers), Jake Nicholl (Clonmullion), Regan Lennon (Lucan United), Ryan Fitzsimons (Kilbarrack United), Kyle Haden (Tolka Rovers), Conor Dunne (St Mochta's)
Midfielders: Alan Rhodes (North End), Dean Kelly (New Oak), Gareth Craven (Malahide United), Mamadou Doumbia (Malahide United), Cian O'Brien (MPFC), Sam Conway O'Donoghue (Crumlin United)
Forwards: Jordan Buckley (St Mochta's), Déan Ivory (Finglas United), Tyler Doherty (St Mochta's), Cian McMullen (MPFC), Sean O'Mahony-King (St Francis), Marc Ivie (St Patrick's CY)

Fixtures
Friday, March 20th | Munster FA v Ulster FA, Diamond Park, Ballyare, Donegal, KO 19:00
Friday, March 20th | Leinster FA v Connacht FA, Dry Arch Park, Bonagee, Donegal, KO 19:00
Saturday, March 21st | Ulster FA v Leinster FA, Buncrana Hearts, Donegal, KO 13:00
Saturday, March 21st | Connacht FA v Munster FA, Aileach FC, Inishown, Donegal, KO 13:00
Sunday, March 22nd | Munster FA v Leinster FA, Diamond Park, Ballyare, Donegal, KO 11:00
Sunday, March 22nd | Connacht FA v Ulster FA, Leckview Park, Letterkenny, KO 11:00