In a statement, FFA chief executive James Johnson said the decision had been "extremely difficult but necessary" amid the widespread financial impact on sport caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The majority of those who responded to a tweet from the governing body confirming it had reduced its workforce were supportive of the move.

The pandemic has forced a near total shutdown of sport across the world, although the top-tier domestic football competition in Australia - the Hyundai A-League - did continue behind closed doors before it was eventually suspended by the FFA.

Australia has reported more than 3,600 cases of the virus and 14 deaths.

"This has been an extremely difficult decision to make, but necessary to stabilise the organisation so that it can continue to service the game, albeit in a vastly different landscape," Johnson said.

"Industries all over the world have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and football in Australia is no different.

"We are in a situation where grassroots football and the Hyundai A-League are currently suspended, we’ve had the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the deferral of the international football calendar, so virtually all football activity has now ceased for the foreseeable future because of COVID-19.

"These developments impact many forms of revenue for FFA, including national registration fees, broadcast fees, sponsorship, ticket sales and Government funding, so we have needed to adjust our operations to ensure that we can remain operational, forcing us to take the unfortunate decision to stand down approximately 70 per cent of our workforce.

"We will continue to operate with a small team, with a focus on continual engagement with fans through digital platforms, supporting our member federations, clubs and the almost two million football participants in this country."