The foundation – the country’s leading non-profit sports fundraising organisation and charity – received 4337 responses to a five-week survey it launched in May, seeking detailed information on how the pandemic affected clubs, participants and volunteers, and the wider physical and mental health challenges it has posed.

“This is not just a sporting crisis, but a national crisis,” said foundation chief executive Patrick Walker.

“And the return to sporting activity, whenever it happens, does not mean the crisis is over – indeed, it is just beginning.

“Our survey shows that without financial support, thousands of community clubs risk insolvency in the months ahead, which presents a real risk to the physical and mental health of our communities.”

The results of the survey, published in a 55-page report by the foundation, illustrate how COVID-19 has destroyed revenue streams for clubs and associations of all sizes and that the fallout will last years.

Historic Sydney rugby league Bondi United, for example, is reeling from a loss of registration fees and sponsorship as well as a shortage of volunteers to help carry out the exhaustive new safety measures required of all sporting clubs.

United also fields teams in netball, basketball and touch football competitions, but club secretary Cath Kara is unsure how many members will return this season, with many losing interest and others having concerns about hygiene and health.

“We rely heavily on sponsorship but many of our sponsors are struggling for money themselves so they’ve basically all stopped – we’ve lost more than 80 per cent,” she said.

“We need to have all the necessary sanitisation equipment … we also have to buy extra equipment because the teams can’t all use the same ball, the bibs have to be washed and not shared between teams. Indoor sport is even worse because it’s a confined space.

“The club will survive, it will take a knock, but the community always gets behind us because we are an integral part of it.”

Mr Walker said the foundation would appeal to political, philanthropic and corporate leaders to help find money, declaring a “co-ordinated” approach from all sectors was needed given the importance of community sport to the health of the nation.

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“These clubs are about more than the sport itself – they are the lifeblood of communities all over Australia,” he said.

“They are made up of individuals who pay utility bills, shop at supermarkets and fill up at petrol stations. They are not the top end of town, but need support from this sector and the whole philanthropic community if we are to avoid the loss of thousands of clubs and the widespread social dislocation that would follow.”