The future of Team Bath FC has been thrown into doubt by the club's failure to renew their groundshare agreement with Bath City for next season.

The university-based side were due to inform their landlord of their plans by March 31.

The Conference have a ground-grading meeting on Thursday which could shed more light on the situation.

But there has already been plenty of speculation on the non-league scene that Team Bath may pull out of Blue Square South or even go out of business altogether this summer.

The University of Bath is undergoing a comprehensive review of its whole sports programme as a result of the credit crunch.

Team Bath have since declined to make any further substantive comment. A spokesman would only say: "We are in the process of looking at where we might be playing next year."

If they do stay in operation, a return to the university campus at Claverton Down is unlikely as the facilities there were heavily criticised even in the club's Southern League days.

Locally the only other ground that would meet Conference criteria would be Forest Green Rovers' New Lawn.

The decision to review spending was applauded by Bath MP Don Foster, although he added that he would not welcome any reduction in sports facilities.

Mr Foster said: "All universities across the country are feeling the impact of the credit crunch and the recession and as a result are reviewing all their organisations, so this is a sensible thing for them to be doing.

"That said the sports department is a very important part of the university and the city.

"Many of its facilities are open to the local community and used extensively and it gives a boost to the city's status because we have some of the best sportspeople in the world training there.

"Although I entirely understand the need to have a review and I think it would be wrong to criticise the university's decision, I hope there will be no need for closures."

Team Bath's gates are the lowest in Blue Square South with an average of just 184 fans going through the turnstiles each game.

If the clubTeam Bath were to pull out of their agreement with Bath City it would heavily effect the Romans' playing budget.