07/05/2009 - 6,000 sports clubs 'facing closure'
The Government's target to get a million people into sport by 2012 could be undermined by the recession, which could see around 6,000 sports clubs under threat of closure, a new survey suggests.
Around 39% of clubs have suffered a decrease in membership renewals and 40% are seeing revenues from subscriptions fall, according to the CCPR group, which represents 290 governing bodies for sport and recreation.
A survey of 160 sports clubs revealed that around six in 10 have seen a drop in commercial earnings. Several are being forced to make cuts in investment in facilities, coaching kits and initiatives at the grassroots level.
A proportion of the clubs polled said they could be forced to shut down if the current downturn continues. When the numbers are extrapolated, this would mean that 6,000 of them across the UK could be in trouble, the CCPR said.
The Government had earlier announced that it aims to get an additional one million people active in sport by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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