THE South West Peninsula League, St Piran League, East Cornwall Premier League and Duchy League seasons have been suspended with immediate effect after Cornwall and Devon were moved into Tier Three coronavirus restrictions by the Government.

There will be no matches until after January 15 at the earliest.

Games could have continued under Tier Three rules, but the Leagues have taken the decision for the safety of everyone involved.

A Peninsula League statement said: “Whilst outdoor team sports are only banned under Tier Four, the restrictions on holding such matches in Tier Three are such that it places a burden on club officials, volunteers and supporters to the extent that it is impractical to fully comply without professional, trained staff, to ensure the law is complied with.

“Further, it is financially draining to incur the costs of staging matches without the normal income streams, which the restrictions mean are largely turned off.”

The League will now be suspended until BOTH Devon and Cornwall are returned to Tier Two restrictions.

Clubs will be given at least seven days’ notice of the resumption of fixtures.

It must now put the likelihood of the season ever completing under serious threat and the statement added: “The league will actively participate in discussions about how the season maybe concluded, but equally it is only right to state that every week of missed fixtures will mean this becomes impractical.

“As a league, we do not support extending the season beyond May, and believe next season should start on time.”

It continued: “The league feel we have tried our very best to get the 2020-21 season up and running in line with the restrictions and pressures imposed.

“We thank all clubs for their huge efforts, and for a while in September and October we were catching up games and making remarkable progress.

“Indeed, at the turn of the year we are still the league with the highest percentage of games played in the entire national league system.

“However, the November lockdown, the increasing number of postponements due to either COVID cases or COVID restrictions and the inevitable effect of the weather on our exposed peninsula has taken its toll.

“We have all given it our best shot and we can hold our heads up high, but for the time being we all have to accept that playing football means nothing if it risks the health, wellbeing or even lives of any member of our community.

“Because of that alone, the league board asks all to accept the reasons for this decision to suspend the league with immediate effect.”A Piran League statement said: "The unanimous view of the League Management Committee is that, despite sport being permitted under Tier Three rules, the League shall be suspended with immediate effect."This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, but with the rapid escalation of case numbers across the county, the extra burden on club officials and volunteers, particularly for those clubs whose reserve teams in the League have much stricter regulations to follow regarding match-day control of spectators and facilities, the moral dilemma of encouraging people to travel and mix when they can't visit family, and the duty of care that we all hold to protect the health and wellbeing of fellow players, officials, volunteers and spectators, it is simply not right to continue."The decision will remain under rolling review in line with the fortnightly Government tier system review schedule, and the resumption plan will broadly follow the same lines as the SWPL."