The Yallourn North Junior Football Club fears it will not be able to field an under 14 side this season.
Numbers at the club are at their lowest point in years, according to the club, with about 14 under 12s and 11 under 14s on the list.
According to club president Darren Anderson, a shortage of 12 to 14 year-old boys in the area has led to the problem.
“If you look at the school here and the kids in the area, we have almost everyone possible involved,” Anderson said.
“We really need kids to come to the club from surrounding areas like Morwell, Moe, Trafalgar and Traralgon, which they have in the past.
“It would be very sad if it got to a point where I had to tell the 11 kids we do have that they can’t play because there aren’t enough players.”
Anderson said the club has a fantastic culture and believed that boys who may not be getting as much game time as they would like elsewhere should consider coming to Yallourn North.
Alternatively, Anderson said the club would also welcome boys who had not played before but who would like to try the sport.
“We’re a very inclusive club and will happily welcome anyone who wants to have a go and get a game,” he said.
Anderson also reinforced how important the club’s future is to the community.
“The existence of the club now and into the future is so important for the children,” he said.
“To lose a football team for local kids now would have lasting effects; it would be hard to get back from that.”
The club trains at the oval in Reserve Street, Yallourn North and will hold its next training/registration day on Thursday, 12 April from 4.30pm.
Matches in the Central Gippsland Junior Football League begin on Saturday, 14 April.
For more information, phone Darren Anderson on 0439 951 601.
