A junior football team based in Newtown look set to fold after being denied a league place – because they have girls playing for them.

Newtown Whitestars Football Club have endured a turbulent summer having departed their long time home at Latham Park following a row with landlords Newtown Football Club.

Now its under-15s sides look set to disband after seven years coming through the age groups together, after the Football Association of Wales (FAW) stipulated its two female players, both aged under 14, would not be permitted to play in a newly created under 15/16s league covering the region.

No girls' league exists for the age group in Montgomeryshire.

Coach Craig Beckerleg hoped to enter the side in the Aberystwyth Under 15s League to ensure the side could stay together – only to be denied by the Central Wales Football Association (CWFA).

An appeal paid for out of the coach's own pocket has since been rejected by the FAW and the side now face disbanding.

The angry coach accused the FAW and CWFA of sexism, saying: "We now face the prospect of 18 boys and two girls not being allowed to play football for 12 months.

"The team and parents are heartbroken by this and will probably disband.

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"These kids were robbed of 18 months of football by the pandemic and now they being refused to play football.

"I will not give in to demands to get rid of the girls. I have coached these players for seven years and we reject the CWFA suggestion to get rid of them. They are part of this team and have been for a long time.

"I can now see why Wales is so far behind England in women’s football with this sexist attitude."

Parents of players have also hit out at the governing bodies.

Ben Pearse accused the Central Wales FA of "squeezing the life out of local football".

He also said the end of the side would negatively impact the children, including his own son Josh.

"My lad is doing GCSE PE and being part of a team is part of his course so this will have a detrimental affect on that. It’s okay saying 'go and find another team' but they’re all full," he added.

"I’m a absolutely disgusted by how the Central Wales FA have treated them. These councillors are still living in a prehistoric era and are squeezing life out of local football again.

"Look what happened to Maesyrhandir, Newtown Wanderers and Newtown Rovers and now they’re doing it to kids football."

Meanwhile another parent, Dean Williams, said the FAW and CWFA decision makers were "living in the past".

"I, like all other parents, find the situation totally unacceptable," he said.

"Due to outdated and frankly quite ridiculous rules by the various powers that be this team will be denied the chance to join the Aberystwyth League.

"All these kids want to do is play football after all and I fully support Craig's stance on not joining the local Mid Wales under-16 League.

"To me it seems pure politics by people who really do not understand youth football and who are completely living in the past."

Both the Football Association of Wales and CWFA were approached for comment.