A COMMUNITY champion rugby club founded by a Glasgow dad to help his son and other youngsters is facing a crisis after half the adult team left.

The Glasgow East Rugby Club, crowned Evening Times community sports champions in 2012, has been deserted by around 12 members after one of its coaches moved to a new club and they went with him.

Now the club is struggling to raise enough players for their first game of the season in two weeks.

Founder Peter McEwan, 52, has issued a desperate plea for new members, and said the club wants to keep the adult side going to give the younger players something to move up to.

He said: "We just want to keep ourselves afloat.

"We are a new club and we have got a youth policy which means we are trying to build our under 18s to progress through the ranks. We need to maintain an adult side for them."

Peter said the team coach had recently left to take up a new job with Whitecraigs, at Newton Mearns. He had only joined the East End club, which plays at Barrachnie Park, in Baillieston, around a year ago.

Peter added: "He brought quite a lot of players with him and they have left with him.

"We have got about 12 left and we need around 20 for a game."

Peter said the club, which has around 30 youngsters from primary one to primary seven, plus some in first and second year, struggled to attract coaching staff.

He said: "We are in the east end of Glasgow and it's dominated by football."

Peter, from Baillieston, started the club six years ago to help his son Ross, now 20.

Peter said his son was now playing for Hamilton and was no longer involved with the Glasgow club.

The side, which plays in the RBS West Division 4, came last at the end of last season.

Peter said: "We are the bottom of the bottom but the only way is up. We want to give the young players a future."

Anyone interested in joining the adult team can contact them through their Facebook page.

victoria.brenan@eveningtimes.co.uk