Long-term future of Enfield City Soccer Club in doubt after Falcons withdraw from State League

ENFIELD City has withdrawn from Football Federation SA's State League, casting doubts over the long-term future of the 68-year-old soccer club.

ENFIELD City has withdrawn from Football Federation SA's State League, casting serious doubts over the long-term future of the 68-year-old soccer club.

The move comes after the Falcons were hit with a 60-point deduction and a $10,000 fine in September for discrepancies found with player contracts at the club.

FFSA chief executive Michael Carter confirmed Enfield had pulled out of the state's second-teir competition after being unable to field a full complement of teams for the 2014 season.

"We've provided all opportunity for them to participate and unfortunately they haven't seen that they are going to be able to do so moving forward," Carter said.

"I think the sanctions that were put on them as a result of the breach of competition rules - the points deduction, the fine and the outstanding debt - have been too much for them to recover."

Enfield City, which was born out of Prospect United Soccer Club in 1946, was slapped with the penalties after an FFSA investigation found eight players at the club ''did not meet the definition of an amateur player based on club player payment agreements.''

The club lost 30 competition points last season and was relegated from the Premier League with -19 points.

It was set to kick off its 2014 State League campaign on -30 points.

After an appeal by the Falcons, the federation allowed them to pay the fine over four years but the point deduction stood.

It was also believed the Blair Athol-based club owed the FFSA about $30,000 at the time the punishment was handed out.

Carter said the governing body had terminated the club's three-year participation licence agreement as a result of its withdrawal.

He said Enfield would not be able to apply to re-enter the State League until 2016 at the earliest.

"I think they got into too much financial difficulty, they had turmoil at committee level and they had a very serious breach of competition rules that culminated in the end result.

"Enfield have had a proud history and we're sad to see them go from the State League."

Former Enfield City chairman Norm Graham, who was believed to have been behind a bid to resurrect the club over the past month, refused to comment on the future of the Falcons.

However, a statement on the club's website confirming its withdrawal from the State League suggested it was set to fold.

"No longer functioning as a club," the website read.

"RIP Falcons."

Carter said many of Enfield's junior players had already left the club late last year and its senior players were free to join other teams.

He said it was too late for a new club to replace the Falcons in this season's State League, meaning it would be a 15-team competition with a bye each week.

Carter said the FFSA would consider applications from new clubs to replace Enfield for the 2015 season.

The Falcons' demise follows its failed bid to form a satellite club arrangement with Adelaide United which was annulled last year.

Carter would not confirm whether Western Toros had approached the FFSA about playing matches at Enfield's Rushworth Reserve home ground.