Community sports clubs across the UK are withstanding the recession after reporting an increase in membership levels, according to new research by the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR).

An independent study of 3,000 clubs - commissioned by the CCPR every other year to gauge the state of grassroots sports - found that 34 per cent had seen an increase in the number of adult memberships and 40 per cent in junior memberships. A total of 73 sports were represented in the Survey of Sports Clubs 2009, with sailing, motor sports and junior football among the sports to report the largest growth since 2007. However, golf was the only sport to see a reduction.

It is hoped that the results from the CCPR study demonstrate the positive effect of the government's attempts to increase the number of people participating in sport ahead of the London 2012 Olympics through additional investment. CCPR chief executive Tim Lamb said: "Hopefully, what we're beginning to see is the fruit of policies designed to deliver a legacy from the Olympic Games, bringing more people into more clubs.

"It shouldn't be any surprise that people are joining their local sports club despite the current financial downturn - communities tend to come to the fore during crises and sports clubs are at the very heart of communities." Despite the increase in membership levels, however, the survey found the recession had impacted on' finances, with the average profit per club declining by a third due to increasing expenditure. Clubs' income also increased during the survey period.

The survey was undertaken on behalf of the CCPR by Peter Taylor and David Barrett of Sheffield Hallam University's Sports Industry Research Centre and Geoff Nichols of the School of Management at the University of Sheffield.