BREAM Rugby Club could slip out of existence unless more players and committee members can be found.
The downturn in the numbers of youngsters playing rugby since the onset of professionalism – some estimates say as many as 40 per cent have quit the game – is biting hard at Bream.
Manager Colin Henderson admitted this week: "At the end of the season we were struggling to field even one team. It has been an uphill battle and now we are faced with the retirement of a couple of the older players.
"If we can't find some keen youngsters and a new coach we may have to face up to making a difficult decision. Of course we will do all we can to avoid that happening but I have to admit it is a very real prospect."
Henderson is hoping players will answer the call to save the club but says there are also some problems with the administration.
"We just haven't got enough people running the club. It is down to about four of us, Dave Watkins, the president, the chairman Malcolm Dunn, Andrew Davis and myself. We urgently need more help to get the club functioning again," he said.
Henderson hopes the cry for help will be answered at the club's annual general meeting in June.
"Bream is the oldest club in the Forest - it was established in 1878 – and there is a proud record of rugby here. But the game has changed dramatically in the last few years and it is all about money.
"Players who have left Bream expect something when they return. We are in a very difficult position but we are hoping the newly reorganised leagues will help us. Next season we will be in the Gloucestershire Premier League so there will not be so much travelling," he said.