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The Herald Sun spoke to 25 country club presidents from 15 leagues across Victoria about their financial position, future and relationship with parent associations the Victorian Country Football League and AFL.

When asked, "Do you think the AFL should be doing more to help country football clubs?" more than 95 per cent of the presidents said: "Yes."

The survey also found:

ABOUT 75 per cent of the clubs surveyed felt they were either "struggling to survive" or "just surviving".

ABOUT 70 per cent of clubs said they felt players would leave if they were not paid enough.

ONLY 48 per cent of respondents thought their clubs would survive in their current state beyond the next five years.

JUST over half of the clubs expected to make a profit this year.

MORE than 75 per cent of the clubs said more players or volunteers were their greatest need.

Yarrawonga president Glenn Brear said the AFL's attitude towards Victorian country football, which provided 18 of the 69 players drafted last year, was a disgrace.

"Don't ever let anyone say that they are doing a good job, they don't ever worry about the survival of clubs in the country," Brear said.

Kinglake president Cameron Caine thought metropolitan football clubs were favoured over country clubs.

"(Country) football is dying a slow death because of money," he said.

Leongatha president Glenn Wright said funding was the best thing the AFL could give his club.

"I know it's hard because clubs might just go out and buy players, but even just some funding to go towards the insurance side of things so people couldn't spend the money elsewhere would help," Wright said.

"We have to pay $26,000 to the league just to start with before we even kick a ball each year."

More than 80 per cent of presidents surveyed felt their local league was doing as much as they could to help.

Footy is big business - last year the AFL made a profit of $26 million.

On top of a TV rights deal that generated more than $780 million, the league has a naming rights deal with car giant Toyota believed to be worth about $10 million a year, while NAB is pouring in $20 million over five years.

AFL general manager of game development David Matthews defended the AFL, saying it invested more than $45 million in development annually.

"Our investment is in programs and strategies to try and maintain and grow what exists at a community level," Matthews said.

He said dividing the $45 million between the community clubs across Australia would be ineffective.

"Some quick maths will tell you that if we split our $45 million grant and gave it to each (of the 2700) clubs that's only about $15,000 each."

"(The country football community) is a significant economy, and we're only a contributor to it, and hopefully we invest in some smart strategies (to help them out).

"But these clubs are really smart and they are entrenched cultural institutions in their towns who generate a lot of money themselves."

Many presidents, including Alec Gardiner from Bacchus Marsh, said clubs needed volunteers more than better facilities, money and players.

"We're like every other club. Everyone wants you to do things better, but there aren't many people out there willing to put their hand up to do it," he said.

Some clubs felt disadvantaged in terms of player payments.

Gardiner said he would like to see a player payment cap implemented.

"But everyone knows that you can put as many caps on as you want but there's ways around them," he said.

South Mildura president Lyle Matthews said his club lost reserves players because of the money offered by the nearby Millewa league.

But Kyneton president Jeff Thaw agreed with the AFL's view that it was up to individual clubs to raise funds.

"I'd say we were (disadvantaged by player payments), but then again that probably comes back to the committee," Thaw said.

"You could argue whether or not we are doing enough to raise money to support the club.

"If you've got a committee that has one or two people on it with contacts or money then that's a big help. It would be better if no one got paid."

VCFL chief executive Glenn Scott said running a club was challenging.

"It's very important people understand that no one said running football clubs in the last 10 years is easy. There are always going to be clubs from year to year that struggle," he said.

Scott said some clubs' uncertainty about their futures "could well be an honest appraisal", particularly because of the drought.

"It's very difficult for anyone to be totally confident of where their club or their organisation will be in five years' time," he said.

But Scott said country football had never been in such good shape.

"It's the strongest regional sport by a long way," he said.

Dederang-Mt Beauty received about $3000 for Ben McEvoy, who was drafted at No. 9 last year by St Kilda.

President Rodney Seymour said that money from the AFL would probably go towards an Auskick program.

"As far as I'm concerned if we don't keep our juniors going, and the kids like that, we don't have a club," he said.

Kyneton's Jeff Thaw said that young local talent disappearing into the TAC Cup and AFL ranks was another problem facing country clubs, despite the compensation.

"The really good players that the club brings up through its junior sides get picked up by the (Bendigo) Pioneers side," Thaw said.

"So any advantage we've had by developing good kids in the area gets taken away from us."