Pay to Play

The Expense of Extracurricular Activities

By Teri Brown

Do you have a list like this one?

Football: $175
Refundable equipment fee: $35
Cleats: $80
Required fundraising event: $35
More required fundraising: $40
End of season party: $15
Gift for coach: $10

Or maybe this one
Figure Skating Club: $225
Required volunteer hours: $10
Required fundraising: $40
Group lessons for eight weeks: $100
Skates and clothing: $400

And that doesn't even include the gas to run them back and forth, the time spent doing your required volunteer hours or the friends you've alienated trying to sell them candy bars or coupon books! If it seems like our children's activities are getting more and more expensive and time consuming with every passing year – it's because they are. Many families have found that sports have become a luxury they can't afford.

For Teresa Bondora-Revere, a homeschooling mother of two from Mobile, Ala., organized children's sports are out of reach for their one-income family, especially when you include the enrollment fees, equipment fees, uniforms, etc. "It winds up being a costly experiment to see if this is what your child wants to do," says Bondora-Revere. "And that doesn't count the gas for traveling there and back several times a week and any doctor visits for the physical or injury treatment."

Other families, such as the Hoelzlis from Thamesford, Ontario, Canada, know going in the sport is going to be costly. The Hoelzlis have two sons playing hockey, one of the most expensive sports your child can play. With registration running from $300 to $450 and equipment costing from $200 to $400 a year, many parents can't even pretend to afford it.

Paul and Kim Hoelzli both play hockey as well and were not only aware of the cost of the sport, but understand it. "A few years ago, fees went up and parents complained that hockey was becoming an elitist sport," says Kim Hoelzli. "Well, it's always been an elitist sport, and we're lucky because our fees are still lower than a lot of centers. There is more equipment involved in hockey than any other sport, and it requires renting a facility to play in. With the recent rise in litigation in hockey, insurance rates have also skyrocketed."

Jim Caruso, chairperson of Future Stars Soccer Academy, Inc. in Atlanta, Ga., believes there are a myriad of reasons why children's sports can be more expensive. "I believe that the options for youth sports are much greater and parents are enabling a higher level of training, play, equipment and competition than ever before, and that in itself is more expensive," says Caruso.

One of the main expenses sports organizations and centers deal with is insurance. After that, the organization has to find a place to play if it isn't affiliated with a center. "There are no sand lots where we can just go play with the neighborhood kids as we or our parents might have done," says Caruso. "Field space is limited, and often, gaining access to playing field or practice space costs money."

Coaching and training have become more serious for select or travel teams. Most of the time these teams have professional coaches rather than parent volunteers, which adds to the over all cost. Travel costs can also boost up the expense, leaving parents feeling like their child's sport is a bottomless money pit.

Want to see more?

• Family Energy Magazine
• Sporty Kids: Making a Game Plan
• Karate Kids
• All for the Game
• Talk about it!