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QUINCY, ILL. -- A drop in the number or junior golfers could mean the end of Quincy's Pepsi Little People's Golf Tournament.

Quincy has been the home of the tournament since 1974 and if things keep going the way they are, 2011 could be the final year.

Organizer Nan Ryan is making a plea to the community to help keep the tournament alive.

KHQA's Jarod Wells reports.

Nan Ryan said, "I've done this for 38 years and I don't want the tournament to end and I don't want it to leave Quincy."

The Pepsi Little People's tournament had it's peak year in 2000 when 922 junior golfers participated.  Since then the number has gradually decreased all the way down to 403 in 2010.

Ryan said, "Mainly because of the economy and the fact that there are so many other junior golf tournaments in the country at the same time. When we started there were a handful of tournaments and they were scattered throughout the year."

Last year there were 27 other tournaments going on at the same time as Pepsi Little Peoples. Not to mention the number of junior golfers across the country has been decreasing over the last decade.

Ryan said, "With the dwindling number of junior golfers and the more tournaments, well you're kind of splitting the pie two ways. And there's just not that many kids that are available to play in Quincy."

What needs to happen to keep this tournament going in Quincy?

Ryan said, "The main thing is that we have more sponsor support so that we can have the funds to run the tournament and give the kids what they want. We're hoping that the city of Quincy will get back behind us, they've been good supporters, but of course with the economy it's hard to get the funds that are necessary to run a tournament."

Ryan says she wants to get more Quincy kids playing in the tournament.

Last year there were only 15 junior golfers from Quincy.

This year there will be a discounted entry fee for families who have 3 or more kids participating in the tournament.

The Pepsi Little People's tournament is one of the top three revenue generators for the Quincy Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Even with the decreased numbers in 2010, the tournament still brought it an estimated $450,000.

"In its prime with 900 golfers, we worked the registrations, we see where they're coming in and with youth sports their coming in with their grandparents, that siblings, their mom and dad, so it's bringing in the family often times. That's a big dip to our hotels, to our restaurants, to area taxes and retail sales. It would be a big loss," said QCVB Executive Director Holly Cain.