The proportion of clubs experiencing growth in their adult membership levels has declined 6% since 2008.
In terms of adult membership, more than one in four (28%) of clubs are experiencing growth whilst 15% are contracting in
terms of adult membership numbers. On balance, at an overall level, this represents growth in 13% of clubs. In 2008, a
higher proportion of clubs (34%) were growing and slightly fewer (13%) were contracting, resulting in a slightly higher overall level of
growth in 21% of clubs. This slowdown is indicative of the already identified difficulties which clubs have faced in the last
two to three years in recruiting and retaining members.
There is, of course, considerable variation across sports, with no evidence of contraction at all amongst athletics and cycling clubs, reflecting a current trend for the increasing popularity of more individualised sports.