Broomball is Iowa State’s most popular intramural sport.

In each of the past two springs the Iowa State Broomball Club team has reached the finals of the USA Broomball National Collegiate Tournament.

But now the club is struggling to even assemble a team for tournament competition.

“I can’t understand it really,” said club president Justin Payne, a junior in physics. “I think we’re going to hand out fliers at intramurals this year and just let people know that we’re still around.”

There are only “five or six” members in the club, says Payne – not enough bodies to even conduct a true practice.

Graduation emptied the ranks of the club in the spring. Over the past few months, Payne and current and former members have been trying to restart the club in order to return to competition.

What makes the club’s predicament even more odd is the success and participation the sport has in intramurals.

Last fall there were 275 men’s and women’s broomball teams registered for intramural competition, while 160 teams competed last spring.

Registration for the co-ed broomball tournament closes on Wednesday. The cost is $40 per team.

Membership for the Broomball Club is $40 a semester, which helps pay for tournament entry fees and practice time at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.

“A lot of people don’t understand that broomball is a recreational sport. People don’t know that we’re not too serious,” Payne said.

At a normal activity level, the club holds approximately three practices at the ice arena and several more “dryland” practices on the floor of the Lied Recreation Athletic Center, Payne said.