London FA agree to continue their cup competitions this season

By Robin Jones

THE London FA have agreed to continue their cup competitions this season – but giving clubs the chance to pull out.

At their meeting on Wednesday, the cup competitions committee decided that all of the adult cups should carry on as many of those competitions are at advanced stages.

Clubs have been told that league or league cup fixtures should remain their priority and they will not be penalised for withdrawing from a London FA cup provided they do this by March 22.

However, all London FA youth cup competitions for 2020-21 will be curtailed, to allow youth leagues to fulfil their programmes of activity up to the extended end of the season.

Only five of the 13 youth cup competitions have started and the feedback from talks with the youth leagues was overwhelmingly in favour of cancelling the cup competition programme, as those leagues have planned to carry on until the end of June.

London FA CEO Paul Bickerton said: “Pitch availability and weather will continue to provide challenges for all of us.

“However. it has been agreed that all teams entering one of our youth cup competitions next season will be able to do so free of charge.”