HEALTH bosses has promised to try and get children back playing football early in the New Year after Christmas matches in East Lancashire were suddenly cancelled by the Lancashire FA.

The decision on Friday night affects senior and junior game in eight areas including Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle, Burnley, Hyndburn, Rossendale, and Ribble Valley.

It has caused outrage with Blackburn-based Mill Hill Juniors FC leading calls for rethink.

Lancashire County Council's public health director Dr Sakthi Karunanithi has promised the festive season ban is just 'a short-term measure'.

His Blackburn with Darwen Council counterpart Professor Dominic Harrison said: "We hope to work closely with Lancashire FA over the coming weeks to see how we can open up grassroots football as soon as possible in the New Year.

"Whilst the rates for Covid-19 in Blackburn with Darwen have been coming down rapidly during most of the lockdown, we have seen a significant rise in the rates again in the under-30s age groups over the last week.

"To minimise the risk of household transmission over the five day seasonal relaxation of the Covid rules, we need to take all the measures we can to avoid entering the period from December 23 to 27 with rising rates."

Dr Karunanithi said: "I know this news has been disappointing, but it is important we contain the spread of coronavirus, especially as we go into the Christmas period when more households will be mixing.

“We have been in discussion with the Lancashire FA and Public Health England to understand the current situation involving approximately 900 teams and around 27,000 players.

"Given the increasing incidence in some districts involving younger age groups, we jointly concluded that, in order to minimise disruption to schools, it would be sensible to pause organised matches in selected districts across East and Central Lancashire until the New Year.’

"This is a short-term measure and will be reviewed carefully."

Lancashire FA chief executive Simon Gerrard said: “I love football.

“However, it’s also the reason we sometimes need to make decisions that serve the best interest of the game and our participants, volunteers and spectators, for a long-term benefit. This is an example of one of those types of decisions.

“Although Covid-19 infections are decreasing across the county, it remains incredibly prominent in some parts of Lancashire and continues to take the lives of a number of people infected.

“With relaxation in the rules on households mixing during Christmas period, we need to take joint action to avoid another rise over the coming weeks.”