A £12,000 cash injection will be provided to all 40 members of the South West Peninsula League to help clubs during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The league board in partnership with sponsors Kitchen Kit and Walter C Parson Funeral Directors will provide the money to assist clubs who have lost funds from gate money.

The package is made up from £5,000 unused prize money, £5,000 from the league’s cash reserve, £1,000 from the cancellation of the proposed rise in fees this summer and £1,000 on top of the normal sponsorship from Walter C Parson.

In a statement, league secretary Phillip Hiscox said: “The 40 clubs in membership are all vital parts of their local communities and they stretch across the whole of Devon & Cornwall, from Penzance to Axminster.

“These clubs, like huge sections of the voluntary and sporting sectors, are suffering financially from being closed.

“Only some of the larger clubs with clubhouses & employees are likely to receive govt help through measures announced, but none are going to be able to make up for the lack of gate money, fund raising, sponsorship etc.

The South West Peninsula League will happily join the call that the professional game, the national bodies and the huge TV income at the top of the game should assist clubs, but equally we know that we too must also do our best for our own clubs.

“This money will be used to ensure none of the 40 clubs have to pay any annual fees for both the league and cup for the 2020/21 season.

“In addition to asking for further help from above, the league board will also look to make further savings in its operation that can in turn be passed onto the clubs.”

The league also runs a benevolent fund where members clubs pay £20 each year but this will not be invoiced until games are up and running again.