His call comes after the Eagles' committee declared in Saturday's The Courier that it was in danger of folding due to a lack of off-field volunteers at the Central Highlands Football League club.

The club has called a community meeting on February 24 to muster support as part of a "We Need You" campaign targeting locals.

Gunnell said his executive committee had effectively run a lean list of workers, hiring help when needed, and posting the club's biggest profit in six years.

He will resign on Wednesday after parting ways with the committee, a move he said would allow the Eagles time to fill his position before the season starts in April.

Gunnell said recruiting players was not an issue, but it was hard to keep them when they arrived to find a sparse training squad.

"What's most important was that no one came to training," Gunnell said.

"The reason the football club is in decline is because we have no players."

Gordon, a long-time cellar dweller, attracted a band of players from Ballarat Football League club Darley this summer.

Gunnell said they moved elsewhere when they discovered only eight to 10 players at training.

Eagles spokesman Neil Toohey told The Courier on Friday that the club first needed more off-field personnel to ring players and ensure they attended training.

Toohey said the workload of running a club was increasing each year.

The community campaign aims to remind people of the club's importance in the district.