THE Bournemouth Sunday League will be organised in future by the Dorset Football League after the it was seen as no longer financially sustainable in its current model.

In a statement on social media, the Bournemouth Football League said it held a meeting with its clubs in November to discuss the future of structured Sunday football in the area.

At the AGM in June, the clubs were told that the Sunday League, in its current form, was not financially sustainable.

Now, it has been agreed that the only viable option for the Sunday clubs would be for the Dorset Football League to take over the organisation of the leagues.

The DFL are prepared to establish a new East Dorset Sunday League that would see clubs play against mostly the same teams as they do at the moment.

Subject to approval by the Dorset League Management Committee and Dorset League clubs, it is expected that the clubs in the area will be invited to formally accept the recommendations early next year.

This will help to ensure the future of football in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole conurbation.

The Bournemouth Football League’s full statement is as follows: The Bournemouth Football League held a meeting with its Club’s on Wednesday 6th November to discuss the future of structured Sunday football in the Bournemouth and surrounding areas.

The Clubs had been informed at their AGM last June that the Bournemouth Sunday League’s current structure was no longer financially sustainable.

Following this a Sub-Committee was established and met throughout the following months to assess every option presented to them including requesting volunteers and approaching other Leagues in the vicinity.

The response to the request for people to take on positions was a long way short of what was required.

Discussions took place with Dorset Football League representatives and it was concluded that this approach was the only viable option capable of accommodating our Sunday clubs.

The Dorset League are very well organised, which has been confirmed by the former Bournemouth Saturday League teams now thriving in their League. Dorset already have a number of active volunteers, something that unfortunately has become increasingly lacking in the Bournemouth League/DFA.

Moreover, Dorset are financially stable and are prepared to establish a new “East Dorset Sunday League”, where our clubs would participate playing mostly the same teams in the same locations as they have in the Bournemouth League.

The Sub-Committee concluded that this represented the best chance of sustaining organised Sunday football in our area. They recommended accordingly to the full Bournemouth Football League Management Committee who at their October meeting ratified the recommendations.

Representatives from the Dorset Football League subsequently attended the 6th November Clubs meeting outlining the proposals and answering questions from the floor. The response from our clubs was exceedingly encouraging and all present expressed interest in joining the new League.

Subject to the approval of the Dorset League Management Committee and Dorset League Clubs it is envisaged that our clubs will be invited to formally accept the recommendations in the early months of next year which will ensure the future of football in the Bournemouth and Dorset conurbation.