The Otago Nuggets' call for support has hardly been met with a battle cry but Basketball Otago chief executive Mark Rogers says it is still early days.
Last week the Nuggets launched a campaign to help the franchise re-enter the 2010 National Basketball League by asking the region for its financial support.
As part of the drive to raise funds, pledge forms were distributed and posted online to allow the public to make donations.
Just under $500,000 is needed to operate the Nuggets next year and most of that money has to come from sponsorship, donations and grants, Rogers said. But as of yesterday the money had not been flooding in.
"There has not been a lot of response so far," he said.
"There has not been a great deal of time yet. The message is still getting out to people and people are still deciding if they can afford it. So we'll just have to wait and see."
When asked if there had been any pledges, Rogers said he would not discuss the details.
Basketball Otago opted against fielding a team in the 2009 NBL after deciding it was no longer prepared to prop up the cash-strapped franchise to the detriment of other areas of its operation.
The Nuggets were part of the NBL for 18 years, during which time they became one of Dunedin's marquee teams. They enjoyed bumper crowds of around 3000 during the halcyon days of the mid-1990s. In recent years a run of poor form saw the crowds dwindle but the community's resolve to keep the team on the court did not waver.
That was never more evident than when Basketball Otago called a special meeting late last year to advise the basketball community it was not entering the NBL this year. After an hour and a-half of passionate and sometimes heated debate, a group emerged from the meeting determined to keep the Nuggets in the NBL.
The bid failed but Basketball Otago hopes to tap into some of that passion as it attempts to resurrect the team next season.
With money proving difficult to extract from people's pockets, and the economic environment remaining tough, the Nuggets face an uphill battle to get back into the league.
Pledge forms can be obtained from the Edgar Centre or www.basketballotago.co.nz.
