THE Malvern Football League will not be running next season, bringing an end to Sunday football in the town.
A lack of teams has forced officials to blow the whistle on the action in the 87-year-old league, although they hope to attract more to run the competition next year.
Only 10 clubs were signed up for this season but two, Seven United and Vern 08, have opted to leave for leagues in Hereford and Worcester respectively.
Vern 08 have since folded, along with Fir Tree, leaving a shortage of teams to run the Malvern League.
Malvern Rangers, Keyz 04 and Bakery Allstars have all been placed in the Worcester and District Sunday League, where they will be joined by new team Vaults.
La Mano de dios 86, Frome Tigers and Seven Allstars have joined the Jewson Herefordshire Sunday League.
Chairman Joe Whitehouse confirmed the Malvern League would not be running and praised Worcester and Herefordshire officials for accomodating teams at short notice.
He added: “We were let down by two clubs deciding to leave the league after the annual general meeting which gave us little time to try to recruit any other clubs to make it up to 10 teams.
“As we didn’t have the 10 teams it was not fair on the clubs that remained with us.
“We made a decision that we wouldn’t run the Malvern League with the hope that the following season we would be able to get it up and running again because there are a lot of teams in Malvern.”
There are five divisions in the Worcester League but the city’s Saturday competition has seen its numbers drop to nine following the defection of Hanley Swan and Upton Town to the Cheltenham League.
Reg Reynolds, owner of the Cross Keys Inn in Malvern and manager of Malvern Rangers, said the cost of running a team was increasing, although Whitehouse said this was not a factor in Malvern as prices were cheaper than Worcester.
Reynolds, also in charge of Keyz 04, estimated the hire of pitches, payment to officials, kit supply and travel could cost £2,000.
