Lower demand to hold sports training in recession (6)
I believe the answer is:
deepen
'lower' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'demand to hold sports training in recession' is the wordplay.
'demand' becomes 'need' (synonyms).
'to hold' indicates putting letters inside.
'sports training' becomes 'PE' (Physical Education).
'in recession' is a reversal indicator.
'need' enclosing 'pe' is 'nepeed'.
'nepeed' backwards is 'DEEPEN'.
(Other definitions for deepen that I've seen before include "Intensify" , "Go lower" , "Increase in depth" , "Dig out" , "Make stronger" .)