The Royal Yachting Association says the proposed fees represent a massive increase in costs for clubs who will have to pay in the region of £150 in the first year of the new regime and £125 per year thereafter.

"Such fees are likely to result in clubs not being able to afford to run a bar as they do not have the benefit of being able to offset fees against their profits in the way that commercial organisations can, " says the RYA.

Richard Caborn, minister for sport, angered the sporting world by claiming the new licensing measures would be "advantageous to everyone in our communities", but the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR) countered:

"This is clearly not true in the case of sport and hundreds of community clubs now face perilous futures."

The CCPR, on behalf of its members' 151,000 sports clubs and their 13 million participants, attacked the government for failing to consider the negative impact of the fees on local sports clubs.

"In the government's quest to appear tough on binge drinkers, it has penalised sport and recreation organisations that do so much good in the community, in the same way as large pubs and clubs, " said CCPR chairman, Howard Wells.

According to a report on yachtsandyachting. com the commodore of the Flushing Sailing Club says the "new proposal, in addition to our registration fee, will increase our yearly licence fee by 4000%, that is assuming we are placed in the lowest charging band".