Infinity join Portsmouth’s League One rivals in signing open letter to the FA protesting at decision to null and void some non-league football seasons

That's the view of Infinity owner Jody Hoare, after the Hampshire Premier League Senior Division club added their name to the letter which more than 130 clubs have now signed.

Portsmouth’s League One rivals Peterborough United and Lincoln City are the only two professional clubs so far to have signed the letter..

The FA’s controversial decision has still has to be ratified by their Council, giving clubs some hope a different outcome might be reached.

And with EFL clubs now getting involved, Hoare remains optimistic there could be a rethink.

‘We’re in close contact with South Shields at the moment, we speak to their chairman quite regularly about it,' he said.

'We’re passing details backwards and forwards and in communication with other clubs up the league.

‘We’ve signed it (the open letter).I believe a few other clubs in the Hampshire League and Dorset League have been in contact about how they sign it and I’ll pass them the details.

‘Some of these clubs are mid-table that don’t agree with the decision.

‘In reality, they don’t even need to get involved, they can just see how it plays out.

‘But that’s how strongly some teams feel about it, even though they have nothing to play for, they’re still disappointed at the decision.

‘There are some clubs out there that realise that grassroots football is important as the heartbeat of the game, Peterborough being one of them clubs.

‘I believe they (the FA) have to look at it (the decision).

‘It’s not just the amount of clubs that have got involved, but also the profile of clubs (with the open letter).

‘It would be easy for them just to wave a stick at it if it was clubs like us and others at our level.

‘If you look at the grand scheme of things, there are clubs that carry a lot of weight and they’ve threatened legal action.

‘Whether or not they’ll look at it and say, ‘we’ll retract that decision and try to come up with a new one and whatever we decide next is final.’

‘You never know with the FA.'

Elsewhere, some clubs have even complained to their local MP after the FA’s decision.

Alex Cunningham, MP for Stockton North, has written to the sports minister Nigel Huddleston asking for him to intervene.

Stockton Town were 13 points clear at the top of Northern League Division One when the season was halted

Jacob Young, MP for Redcar where Redcar Athletic and Marske United are both affected, has also contacted the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Infinity, meanwhile, were top of the HPL when the season was initially suspended and subsequently declared null and void due to the coronavirus pandemic.

They hadn’t lost any of their 24 league games and with six matches to go were aiming to become the first HPL top flight club to complete an entire campaign unbeaten.