An American football team were left stunned when they realised mice had 'feasted' on their kit.
After the season came to an end in September, Nottingham Caesars put their kit into storage.
But a few weeks ago the team were left horrified when they went to retrieve the kit and "jerseys fell out" of boxes which had been nibbled.
Jamie Gatley, who plays on the team’s defensive line, said liners in helmets - each worth between £200 and £300 - had been "chewed".
'Hungry rodents' chewed through the lace of eight leather footballs, 10 sets of soft padding, 12 helmet liners and cheek pads.
Matchday and raining tops were also damaged.
Speaking of the moment the team found out what had happened, Mr Gatley said: “We couldn’t believe it, we had seen little marks and then the damage had become more apparent.
"The state of some of the tops, it looked like a colony had been feasting on them, having the time of their lives. But it’s not ideal."
The football club is one of the oldest American football club’s in the UK.
Since the damage was discovered, a fundraising page set up to support the club has raised thousands.
The page was set up by the club co-ordinator and Mr Gatley said: "We went from around £1,900 to about £5,000 in one day.
“We’re looking at alternative storage at the moment and the money will go towards providing new kit and making sure that something like this doesn’t happen again.
"The storage unit did offer to pay for some of the damages and we do want to remain a good relationship with them because it’s a good place to play football."
He added: “As soon as the news got out, we were overwhelmed with the support. Whether it was from fans or people who had played for the team in the past, it has been overwhelmingly positive. One player, who used to play for the team, had given us £1,000.”
The club has received support from companies including Built for Athletes.
The damaged kit was mostly for new starters.
But Gatley urged anyone wanting to try out the sport to continue to do so.
He said: “I’d say still come down, we train at Southglade. It’s like a brotherhood, I’ve not been with the team for a massive amount of time but we hope we can still do good.
"There’s good universities in Nottingham with good football teams and we’re hoping to get coaches who have taught at university and national level.
“When we start the season, even with the money we raise, that will put us in a position where if there is someone with financial difficulties, we can provide the kid for them and we can play, without the Go Fund Me page, ultimately, that wouldn’t be possible.”
Last month, the club issued a statement on its Facebook page with a link to the fundraising page.
It read: "Over the winter, our equipment store was unfortunately found by some rats or mice.
“Not unlike the hungry caterpillar, these hungry rodents managed to chew through: the lace in eight leather footballs and seven composite, 10 sets of soft padding, 12 helmet liners and cheek pads, nine padded parts of shoulder pads, multiple game day jerseys and pants and a bunch of training jerseys.
“We are desperate to not have to pass these costs onto the players to replace as we want to continue to increase participation of American Football in the East Midlands."
Donations can be made to the page by clicking here.
The Nottingham Caesars train at Southglade Leisure Centre, in Bestwood, on Wednesday 8-10PM.
