With organisers confirming major sponsor Fulton Hogan would not be supporting the competition for a fourth year next season, the search is on to find another one and avoid schools being hit in the pocket.
Up until now, schools paid $3500 to enter, while Fulton Hogan contributed to travel expenses - by far the biggest cost faced by teams in a competition that costs about $90,000 to run annually.
While Idour is not jumping to any conclusions, he is ''absolutely'' worried about the future of the competition.
''It would prohibit a number of schools taking part if there wasn't sponsorship.
"A number of teams won't be able to afford it, which would probably see it revert back to an Otago-wide competition and a Southland-wide competition,'' he said.
''I'm disappointed that Otago Boys' High School pulled out of the competition and I'm very disappointed that Fulton Hogan pulled out.''
Idour, who helped guide John McGlashan College to third place last season, felt the competition had lost an edge in recent years and would be better off being a 12-team competition again.
Instead, the competition is set to expand to 16 teams next year, with Kavanagh College, Taieri College and an unconfirmed team joining.
''If they had just left it the way it was when it was established, because it was well thought through, I think it would still be surviving quite nicely.
''When it was an elite competition, and some people will argue it was never elite, it had 12 teams.
"It was difficult to get into, you had to improve your standards to get in there and you had to sustain your standards to stay there.
''Now, to revert back to basically everyone being included, it's lost its prestigiousness. There's nothing special about it any more - it's just another competition,'' he said.
Highlanders First XV committee chairman Don McFarlane told the Otago Daily Times earlier in the week he was confident a new sponsor would be found and proposals had already been sent to prospective sponsors.
St Kevin's College coach Justin Fowler shared McFarlane's confidence.
''I don't think the competition is going to fall over at all. I'm not worried about it. I'm sure a new sponsor will be found,'' he said.
''Obviously it's franchise-wide, so there's plenty of exposure for sponsors out there. It's certainly not ideal, but I'm sure a new sponsor will be found.''
Now is not the first time the competition has been seeking a sponsor.
Fulton Hogan came to the rescue in 2012 when the competition was in doubt because the Otago Rugby Football Union was having financial difficulties.
Its decision to stop sponsoring the competition has led to speculation it did so because marquee team Otago Boys' pulled out to play in the Dunedin Premier colts grade.
However, Fulton Hogan regional manager Grant Sime said that was not the case.
''We were approached when the ORFU was in financial difficulty. We probably went into it with a two to three-year term in mind, and we feel it's run its course.
''We have enjoyed the last few years of sponsorship; it was a privilege. However, we now feel it is time to allow another worthy community group the opportunity to be a beneficiary of sponsorship from Fulton Hogan,'' he said.
Sime declined to say how much money the company had put into the competition in the past few years.
- Robert van Royen
