THE feeling of camaraderie in rugby is strong. Being part of a bulky, fifteen-man squad who are prepared to literally put their heads on the line for a win requires a special kind of team spirit.

And for Blackburn Rugby Union Club, the commitment of players to their club lives not just on the field, but also through the business community, even after playing days are well and truly over.

The amateur club, which is celebrating its 125th year in 2003, now exists in a world of professionalism and high wages, and survives purely on the support of local people and business.

As Phil Isherwood, administration manager, explained in his office, which is embedded amid the numerous changing rooms, training gear and rugby balls at the Ramsgreave Drive ground, ties between rugby and business are strong.

Many of the sponsors of the club have links through past or present players and provide a crucial lifeline for the club.

Indeed the same is true for Phil himself -- an ex-player who runs a gardening business between keeping the club accounts up-to-date on a part-time basis.

"It is all about camaraderie," said Phil, 43. "The ties with the club are shown if you just look around the pitch.

"Eighty per cent of the sponsors out there on boards are of companies who have people who played for the club or are playing for the club.

"They want to put something back into rugby and into Blackburn and that's very important to the club because without their support, and it is not necessarily financial, clubs of this size would struggle."

He added: "It is not unique to Blackburn, you go elsewhere in Lancashire and they are all the same. The infrastructure of the club is from past players."

And it is an excellent infrastructure which the club enjoys. The five pitches at Blackburn are regarded as among the finest in the north of England.

The club has three senior teams and a staggering ten junior teams, ranging from under-sevens to under-16s with the younger teams including girls too.

And it has more than 350 senior members and 80 junior members.

More than £30,000 of the £100,000 annual turnover is made up by sponsorship from local businesses.

Around £50,000 a year is made from bar sales and private functions. The rest of the club's income comes mainly from players' subscription fees.

The main sponsor over the past year has been Burnley-based Barnfield Construction. And other company sponsors such as Graham and Brown, Roebucks Solicitors, Bowker BMW and Thwaites all have partners and employees who are also members of the rugby club.

Andrew Graham, a first team player and chief executive of Graham and Brown, said: "We couldn't exist without the help and support we get from the community.

"It is a great example of local business and local sport working in co-operation.

"We are totally self-funded, really, to provide a grass roots opportunity for people to play rugby. As the game at the national level gets richer and more professional, leading players get richer, but the grass roots of the game gets poorer. We have decided not to go down the professional route and instead have provided an excellent standard of amenity for the local community."

If any business is interested in sponsoring Blackburn Rugby Union Club or hiring out its facilities, contact the club on 01254 247669.