A SUNDAY football league has been forced to disband after 30-years, leaving a talented group of players stunned.

Footballers of all ages have been dragging themselves out of bed on Sunday mornings to play in the Darlington and District Sunday Morning League since 1969.

But organisers have had to disband the league because the number of teams had dwindled from twelve to five.

League secretary John Parker said: "The season before we took on some big teams, but then a lot of the small teams just did not want to compete against them. So a lot of the them have gone to other leagues.

"A lot of people in the Sunday league have been involved from day one, and we are all sorry to see it go."

The news spells disaster for one Spennymoor pub team.

Landlord of the Wheatsheaf, Alan Marr, was told about the league's closure on Friday.

He said the team had built up an enviable reputation, but now the 30 members who make up the pub's playing squad will have to hang up their boots because they have no league to play in.

"There was a buzz in the town when the team did well. We had signed a lot of good players and had a great reputation," he said.

"We had some young lads playing who could easily play at a higher level but they can't play football at all now. They're wandering the streets of Spennymoor on a Sunday morning."

General Secretary of Durham County Amateur Football Association, John Topping, said: "Sunday football is really taking off, so this is unusual.

"But when you have teams of a really high standard, the smaller teams tend to lose interest and go to another league.