The merger of the Institute for Sport, Parks and Leisure (ISPAL) and the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM) is a step closer after members of the two organisations voted in favour of the move.

Members approved the transfering of all assets and undertakings to a new body, Institute of Sport, and establishing it as the single professional body for the UK sport sector.

The vote came after a two-year campaign by the trustees of ISPAL and ISRM to create the new Institute.

Marc Newey, ISRM chair, said: "I welcome the result of this vote - this is a clear confirmation that the Board of Trustees, the National Strategy Forum and the wider membership all share the same vision for the future of our industry.

"We now have a clear mandate to create the single professional body the sector needs, within a governance structure which ensures the core values and traditions of our Institute will be preserved. It is a historic moment which presents a unique opportunity both to unite a fragmented landscape and to develop a true profession for those building careers in the industry."

The new Institute will be set up over the next few weeks and will be operational from 1 March 2011. It will be based in Sports Park, Loughborough, and existing staff from ISPAL and ISRM will be transferred to the new Institute.

The new Institute will be governed, for the first two years, by a transitional board which is made up of trustees from ISPAL and ISRM. The transitional board will also be co-opting new trustees to provide a wider representation across sport and physical activity especially from the private and third sectors.

An application for chartered status for the new institute has been submitted to the Privy Council and a decision is expected within the next few months.

Peter Mann, chair of ISPAL added: "The ISPAL board is convinced that the sector needs a single voice and a single professional body and we are delighted that the members have endorsed this view.

"The new body will be much more than the sum of its parts - it will provide the gravitas and influence that we need together with enhanced services to members."