New research has revealed that leading European football clubs continue to resist the recession after reporting an increase in average attendances at the start of the 2009-10 season.

According to Deloitte's Sports Business Group, the average number of people attending the first two rounds of UEFA Champions League fixtures has shown a 5 per cent increase on the same period last year. Meanwhile, English football clubs have reported that their stadiums are - on average - 91 per cent full for Premier League matches during the early stages of the current season, despite the challenging economic situation.

The study also reported that clubs have defied the recession through strong financial results and sponsorship deals, with Arsenal Football Club generating £100m in matchday revenue for the 2008-09 season and Liverpool Football Club securing a major sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered bank. Dan Jones, partner at Deloitte's Sports Business Group, said: "We are seeing a flight to quality whereby the largest clubs perform well but for smaller clubs, the challenges are greater.

"Leading football clubs and leagues outpaced the rest of the economy in the good times and now seem to be faring better than most in a challenging economic environment. Although conditions are likely to remain difficult in the short term, the fundamentals of football remain strong." However, smaller English clubs are continuing to struggle amid the recession. Accrington Stanley Football Club (ASFC) is currently battling to raise more than £300,000 to stave off a winding-up order brought against it by HM Revenue and Customs.

According to the BBC, an offer to clear the League Two club of all its debt put forward by shareholder Ilyas Khan has now been withdrawn, while vice chair Peter Marsden has stepped down from his position. Elsewhere, Bromsgrove Rovers has lodged an application with the High Court to enter administration in order to safeguard the club's future, which had been due to appear in court on 21 October after being issued with a winding up petition.

Salisbury City Football Club, which entered administration on 3 September, has revealed that it is still in discussions with a potential buyer for the Blue Square Premier club.