FANS of the Cheshire Jets have launched their own hunt for a saviour after director Pete Hawkins put the club up for sale.

But this week they were given a stark warning about their next move.

Any plan to take a year out, regroup as a fans-backed club and then re-emerge to run a side in the British Basketball League next year could, in fact, spell the end of senior basketball in the city, they were told.

A Chronicle Save The Jets campaign meeting for supporters packed out Ye Olde Custom House pub in Chester on Monday.

Fans discussed what they could do to preserve the future of the club with just over four weeks left before the start of the BBL season.

It was suggested that the Jets should not enter the league this season so supporters could save the money to take over themselves.

But Paul Nash, who used to follow both the Jets and the Manchester Giants during their first BBL run, said such a move could kill the club.

The Giants are back in the BBL this season and should be the Jets’ first opponents at the Northgate Arena on Sunday, September 23.

But Nash said Jets fans needed to learn lessons from the Giants, who folded in 1999.

“Some people have suggested the Jets could take a year out and run a team in 2013 backed by the fans,” he said.

“That was the thinking with the Giants, and it has taken them 11 years to revive the club.

“If the Cheshire Jets do not run this season they will disappear and they may not come back.”

With time not on their side supporters instead opted to nominate a group of volunteers to approach prominent members of the Chester business community who may be persuaded to save the club and also to liaise with the current ownership to ensure fans can pass on all relevant details to prospective investors.

Rachel Goodall, a long-time Jets fan who is part of the fans group, said: “It is important that whatever has gone on in the past we look at how we can preserve the club for the future.

“If the Jets do not run this season we could lose the club for good. We as fans have to do whatever we can to ensure the club survives.”

It is understood that in order to take on the club a potential owner would potentially need to invest an amount in the tens of thousands in order to put a team on the floor and service a small debt.

But Rob Jeffries, another fan who volunteered to join the supporters group, believes that their support could be key to the club’s survival.

“The fan base of the Cheshire Jets is rich in passion, commitment and desire, which was evident at Monday night’s meeting,” he said.

“Coming together with a group of dedicated individuals now is what we feel is key to keeping that support group together.

“We will be making every effort to keep in contact with the current organisation and have a link with the fans so if any developments do happen, they will be the first to know.

“The important message for Jets fans is to stay positive at this time.

”The club has been saved once before and we remain hopeful it will be again.”

Back The Chronicle’s Save the Jets campaign. You can send messages of support for the club via Twitter including the hashtag #SaveTheJets to @alecdoylejourno or, alternatively, you can contact us via email at: chester.sport@cheshirenews.co.uk.