Members of the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM) have voted against current proposals to merge with the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management (ILAM) and the National Association of Sports Development (NASD).

The ISRM held an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 16 May, which saw a majority of more than 75 per cent vote against the merger, following the advice of the ISRM Board of Trustees.

Senior members of ILAM and NASD, as well as sports minister Richard Caborn, had expressed their concern at the Board of Trustees' recommendation to members to reject the proposals, which members backed in the EGM at the Braunstone Leisure Centre, Leicester.

The decision is set to throw the long-running debate surrounding the amalgamation of the three organisations to form a single professional body for the sports industry – which began in October 2004 – wide open again.

In a statement, Andy Varnom, chair of the ISRM Trustees, said: "We now want to take up the proposal from the sports minister Richard Caborn to meet with him as soon as possible to try to iron out the concerns that we and our members have expressed."