A NEW Saturday league for amateur teams in Worcestershire could be launched as early as next season.

The Worcestershire Football Association wants to set up the competition in a bid to boost participation levels and reduce travelling costs.

It would be for teams below step seven of the non-league pyramid, the next rung down from Midland Combination Division One and West Midlands League Division One.

Officials are hoping to tempt teams back from those leagues, such as Worcester Raiders and Perrywood, while also incorporating the McDonald’s Worcester and District League Saturday Premier Division, which only has 10 teams currently competing. Clubs from the Kid-derminster league could also be involved.

A meeting to discuss the proposal will take place at the University of Worcester on Thursday at 7.30pm.

Andy Norman, the Worces-tershire FA’s development manager, said: “Everyone involved in Saturday afternoon football at the WFA is in agreement that something needs to be done.

“The numbers playing in our leagues has reduced over the years and we believe a better product in the form of a county league could be offered to our customers to help retain current teams and attract new ones.

“Teams playing in regional leagues are experiencing difficulty with increased costs and player availability and we must provide league football to assist them.

“We are hosting a forum to discuss the proposed league with all of our current affiliated teams and those who may be interested in the new league, including teams from outside Worcestershire currently playing in the Kidder-minster and Dis-trict League as well as senior clubs who may wish to establish reserve sides.”