TWO respected footballing servants are urging clubs to return to the Furness Premier League to ensure the local game thrives in very testing times.

Allan Wilson and Dave Staunton – who sponsor the FPL through their Rifleman's Garage and Premier Tiles businesses - are concerned for the future of local soccer.

Changing work shift patterns and an increased variety of leisure pursuits has hit many sports, including football - and the result is a reduction in participation numbers and a drop in standards.

Hundreds of amateur clubs have folded nationwide in recent times due to a lack of players, financial troubles and the strain of travelling commitments, and Wilson and Staunton are desperate to avert the problem in South Cumbria.

Holker Old Boys stalwart Wilson and ex-Furness Rovers and Cavaliers boss Staunton see the best solution to a widespread shortage of players and clubs not being able to fulfill fixtures is for the vast majority of teams whose first XIs play in the West Lancs League to exit that competition and turn out in the FPL.

At present Holker Old Boys play in the North West Counties, while Crooklands, Vickerstown, Hawcoat Park, Askam United, Dalton United, GSK Ulverston Rangers, Millom, Furness Rovers, Furness Cavaliers, Swarthmoor and Walney Island operate in the West Lancs. This means the three-tier FPL is made up of first, second and third teams.

“Personally I think only the top four local sides should be playing in the West Lancs, the rest should be playing in the top division of the Furness Premier League,” said Wilson.

“We could have maybe 14 to 16 clubs in the Furness Premier playing to a good standard. The Furness Premier needs to approach their own clubs and say why don't we get together and have our own strong league.

“The West Lancs League sides in the lower divisions are playing other team's reserves sides anyway, so they might as well be playing each other in a local league.

“The situation in the West Lancs League is getting ridiculous. I know the time of the year doesn't help with it being Christmas, but players just don't want to travel any more.

"Look at some of the results on Saturday. Ulverston Rangers got beat 9-0 and Walney Island got beat 7-0.”

Staunton said the FPL used to be a "fantastic league" in its halcyon days of the 1980s when he was a player, and he believes it could be strong again, with the added benefits of less travelling and big derby crowds.

“The West Lancs teams and Furness Premier League teams need to get together, otherwise it will just collapse,” he said.

“A lot of clubs signed up for the West Lancs because they were frightened to death if they didn't do that, they would lose their best players to other clubs.

"I don't think that is the case any more. Now the good players are spread out over too many teams and none of them are doing any good.

“The standard of the West Lancs League Division Two is atrocious. It is time for clubs to come home.”

Wilson and Staunton believe a return to the FPL would help players who can't commit to travelling around the region in the West Lancs League because of work commitments at BAE Systems and other local firms.

“Players' attitudes to travelling and shift patterns have had a big impact,” said Staunton.

“The biggest thing is the shift system. If a lad is playing West Lancs and he has got to get back in town for 5pm to work back-shift he is not going to be available, end of story. The way the shift patterns are, lads are playing a game, missing two, playing two, missing four etc

"How can you run a football team like that?

“If you work at BAE and you play in the Furness Premier League, no matter where you're game is, there is a good chance you play the game and can get back to work for 5pm. You have no chance if you are in the West Lancs.”

He added: “It has to get back to being a local league. We must be the only town in the country where our local league is full of reserve sides.

“There are hardly an derby matches any more. We used to get a lot of people watching the local derbies and we would again if we had a stronger Furness Premier League.

“Some local sides cannot even field two sides now. It getting to the stage where reserve teams are going to drop out.“

Added Wilson: “Every week in the Furness Premier there are games called off because teams can't get a team out. Many just don't want to play football any more. We have got 240 kids at Holker and when they they get to 16 they disappear."

Transport costs and the burden of paying referees who have travelled long distances to officiate at West Lancs League matches are also contributing factors as to why some clubs are struggling to survive.

“Most of the teams in the league are paying £3-4,000 a year for transport costs for buses and cars," said Wilson: "If we returned to the Furness Premier League that wouldn't happen."

“We are sponsors of the league and that's we are here because we are concerned about the future of the league. We just want the league to survive and become strong again,” added Staunton.