“We’re hoping as many people in football get behind our belief that the FA should change their decision on this. There are all sorts of ways that the leagues could either be completed, or completed in a more satisfactory fashion - if the FA had talked to the clubs and if we were allowed to proceed in the same way that tiers three and four of the men’s game will be proceeding. All we’re asking for is for the FA to withdraw this decision in relation to tiers three and four clubs, and treat tier three and four clubs in the same way that the men’s tier three and four [clubs] are being treated.

“We’re as concerned about Covid-19 as everyone else, and we’re doing everything we can to play our part in protecting everybody. But this is a symptom of the way that the FA sees women’s football in general.

“The manager’s been on the phone to me almost in tears. He says he doesn’t know how he’ll be able to start again next year when this has been done this year.”

Andy Bullingham, the vice chairman of Stourbridge FC - whose women’s team are undefeated in division one of the West Midlands Women’s Regional League (tier six) with a goal difference of plus 93 - also complained about a lack of communication.

“The [men's] clubs had a say in that decision with the league committees,” he said. “They asked for their views.”

Asked if this happened for the women’s side, he said: “No. We’ve had absolutely nothing. We’ve been asked nothing. We haven’t been given any opportunity to put our thoughts and ideas forward in terms of what we felt was the right way to deal with this. It almost makes you think that ladies football is dealt with in a totally different way. As much as we’re trying to bring it into the same levels, the decision-makers and the people behind the scenes are not moving at the same pace that some of the people in the clubs are moving in trying to get that acknowledged.”

Steve Maddock, the chief executive officer at Barnsley, continued: “[The manager] is an ex-professional footballer, a very talented coach, and he said to me: ‘I’ve really got to think about whether I’m going to stay in women’s football because of the Mickey Mouse way it’s been running.’ The women’s game are wanting the best managers and the best coaches to come in - but what messages does this send out to them?”

Maddock said he had “spoken to other clubs in our league today and they feel the same. It’s as though the FA just don’t realise and understand how much this means to people.

“We understand that coronavirus and everything surrounding that comes first. But this has happened now, and we’ve got to deal with it now. Even though it’s bad timing to be talking about football, what else are we supposed to do?"

However, the FA said the decision to cancel the lower tiers had been made after consultation with the women's game.

In a statement, it said: "The decision to end the season involved all five Tiers, from the FA Women’s National League to county leagues. The FA’s consultation was through the Women’s National League management committee, who are elected to represent the clubs, and the women’s football conference, who are the group of all the leagues in the pyramid. They were completely unanimous in their decision."