STAND Athletic Football Club have resigned from the North West Counties League.

Secretary Dave Jackson said failure to attract a sponsor and people to work on the administrative side at the club had prompted their decision.

The team has disbanded and, while the club's youth teams will continue to play in their respective leagues and competitions, it is the club's intention to apply for membership of a lower league for their first team next season.

Jackson said: "We have resigned from the North West Counties League. We sent a letter to the league stating that when we were in the Manchester League we ran the club with a small committee which was sufficient.

"Going into the North West Counties League was a completely different competition and we realised the committe we had was too small.

"We tried to attract people into the club to take on administrative roles, but failed to do that. We also to obtain sponsorship and a backer, but it was left to a small number of people to run the club.

"It got to the stage where the health of the committee members was being affected. People were doing too much. It wasn't worth risking the health of the committee.

"We sent a letter in to the league and next year we will be applying for membership of one of the lower leagues."

Stand won the NWCL Division Two championship last season at the first attempt, but were denied promotion as their ground failed to attain the necessary grading.

"We never got over not going up," said Jackson. "The North West Counties League is quite an expensive league to be in and without sponsorship our outgoings were soon going to exceed out income.

"The sponsors we had lined up fell by the wayside when we didn't go up."

The club will continue to be based at Ewood Bridge as they still have the lease on the land and the facilities will be used by the club's junior teams and teams from other leagues until next season.