Parent perspectives on the cost of competitive youth sports

mirage

GOLD
On this forum, we often discuss how much we spend on our kids and how much we sacrifice time and freedom to do so.

The attached is from TD Ameritrade survey done in mid 2016 to examine the financial sacrifices parents make at the expense of investing for the future.

The out take from their executive summary:

Parents of elite athletes medal in commitment to kids, yet sideline financial goals
  • Parents cut out extras and admit to saving less, delaying retirement and tapping college funds to pay for sports.
  • One-third do not contribute regularly to a retirement account (33 percent).
  • A majority have no long-term financial plan (57 percent).
  • Sixty percent say the cost of youth sports has them concerned about their ability to save for the future.
  • Seventy-seven percent say youth sports affect household budgeting – discretionary spending gets cut first.

Parents bank on scholarships
  • Parents typically spend between $100–$499 a month per child on elite youth sports, with the bulk of the money going toward travel and team fees. $1000+ a month is not unheard of.
  • Two-thirds dream of scholarships to cover more than half of college costs. Forty percent are at least pretty sure their kids will snag one.
  • A third hope their children will go to the Olympics or turn pro. In fact, 15 percent are counting on it.
  • Parents of past players offer a reality check: only 2 percent of the children of those surveyed went to the Olympics or turned pro and 24 percent got a scholarship.
Sitting on the sidelines: Parents need to get their financial game on
  • Parents spend 4xs more time on children’s sports activities than on their own finances.
  • Parents are more likely to characterize themselves as “Johnny-come-latelys”, who got a late start, but are working to catch-up.
  • Nearly 60 percent believe they could be better disciplined when it comes to financial planning, investing and saving.
  • While virtually all parents feel their child’s sports coach is important, only 35 percent believe a financial coach would benefit them.


    In the end, parents say the benefits of sports outweighs the cost
  • Only 26 percent of parents say they consider cutting back on their child’s sports activities.
  • Approximately two-thirds strongly believe that their children learn important life lessons from sports.
  • For parents, the joy of watching a child excel in sports (66 percent) is a top benefit followed by the bonding experience with a child (63 percent).
  • For parents of adult children, most have no regrets (58 percent), while some would have tried to find a better balance between avoiding debt and saving for the future and spending on sports (42 percent).

 

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On this forum, we often discuss how much we spend on our kids and how much we sacrifice time and freedom to do so.

The attached is from TD Ameritrade survey done in mid 2016 to examine the financial sacrifices parents make at the expense of investing for the future.

The out take from their executive summary:

Parents of elite athletes medal in commitment to kids, yet sideline financial goals
  • Parents cut out extras and admit to saving less, delaying retirement and tapping college funds to pay for sports.
  • One-third do not contribute regularly to a retirement account (33 percent).
  • A majority have no long-term financial plan (57 percent).
  • Sixty percent say the cost of youth sports has them concerned about their ability to save for the future.
  • Seventy-seven percent say youth sports affect household budgeting – discretionary spending gets cut first.

Parents bank on scholarships
  • Parents typically spend between $100–$499 a month per child on elite youth sports, with the bulk of the money going toward travel and team fees. $1000+ a month is not unheard of.
  • Two-thirds dream of scholarships to cover more than half of college costs. Forty percent are at least pretty sure their kids will snag one.
  • A third hope their children will go to the Olympics or turn pro. In fact, 15 percent are counting on it.
  • Parents of past players offer a reality check: only 2 percent of the children of those surveyed went to the Olympics or turned pro and 24 percent got a scholarship.
Sitting on the sidelines: Parents need to get their financial game on
  • Parents spend 4xs more time on children’s sports activities than on their own finances.
  • Parents are more likely to characterize themselves as “Johnny-come-latelys”, who got a late start, but are working to catch-up.
  • Nearly 60 percent believe they could be better disciplined when it comes to financial planning, investing and saving.
  • While virtually all parents feel their child’s sports coach is important, only 35 percent believe a financial coach would benefit them.


    In the end, parents say the benefits of sports outweighs the cost
  • Only 26 percent of parents say they consider cutting back on their child’s sports activities.
  • Approximately two-thirds strongly believe that their children learn important life lessons from sports.
  • For parents, the joy of watching a child excel in sports (66 percent) is a top benefit followed by the bonding experience with a child (63 percent).
  • For parents of adult children, most have no regrets (58 percent), while some would have tried to find a better balance between avoiding debt and saving for the future and spending on sports (42 percent).
That sounds nothing like me. :D
 
Parents bank on scholarships
  • A third hope their children will go to the Olympics or turn pro. In fact, 15 percent are counting on it.
Those numbers look awfully high to me. They must have surveyed a lot of parent with kids in U8 or younger. Most people I know are somewhat realistic after a few years in club soccer.

I do agree that benefits out-weigh the cost. For $3,000:
-I can go hack 52 rounds of golf per year instead of hanging out with my DD. With my handicap, this is about 50% enjoyment and 50% frustration.
-Take a family of four on vacation. Won't be able to fly very far and it lasts a week or less only.
-Watching my DD play soccer - priceless.
 
Now that club fees are almost $3k a year, I strongly believe that club soccer will experience a decrease in participation. Also there's the fact that younger kids are not into sports as much as older generations. Just look at the TV ratings.

A correction of supply and demand will be happening as early as next year.

I am already seeing this in north Orange County. Fewer kids are trying out at the younger age groups.
 
Now that club fees are almost $3k a year, I strongly believe that club soccer will experience a decrease in participation. Also there's the fact that younger kids are not into sports as much as older generations. Just look at the TV ratings.

A correction of supply and demand will be happening as early as next year.

I am already seeing this in north Orange County. Fewer kids are trying out at the younger age groups.

Many other sports cost a lot more money.
 
Many other sports cost a lot more money.
Correct on other sports are more expensive. However you don't see everyone playing hockey or golf in Southern California. With club fees surpassing $3k, low income kids will be priced out. Club soccer is becoming a sport for the middle and upper income.
I can afford $3k a year but now I have to think about what I can do with $300 a month.
 
Also there's the fact that younger kids are not into sports as much as older generations. Just look at the TV ratings.

I'm not sure if I really agree with this one. Most kids I know (I'm a middle school teacher) are hugely into sports, but they rarely watch tv. They get almost everything from alternative sources (youtube, a huge variety of apps, bootleg satellite feeds, etc.). They can tell you the bench players on the 12th place team in Spain, but could care less about regular tv.
 
I think it is important for parents of young children (ages 10 and below) to test the waters of sports through various inexpensive organizations (AYSO, NJB, Little League) and see what your child enjoys best. For my DD, it has pretty much always been about soccer. Even with that, she played AYSO until she was 10. then signature, then jumped to club at 12. Now she plays at a pretty high level but before we got to that level (4k plus a year) she progressed on her own scale, not mine. It's easy to fall into the trap "my DD is special" but the numbers presented provide the stark reality that none of us have that USWNT player (ok well .001% of us do) so it is good to keep things in perspective. I have another daughter younger as well. So far she has tried soccer, tennis, gymnastics, swimming. She currently is doing horse back riding and we will see how long that will last. The bottom line is we try to manage the financial perspective with their involvement and interest. My oldest played club baseball, club lacrosse through high school and as an adult does neither. It took awhile for me to realize it wasn't up to me.
 
So far she has tried soccer, tennis, gymnastics, swimming. She currently is doing horse back riding and we will see how long that will last. The bottom line is we try to manage the financial perspective with their involvement and interest.

Condolences on that one. My eldest did the Pentathalon for a while. Not only is horseback riding freaking dangerous, it's expensive! Once you get to a certain level you have to lease or buy your own horse. Then there's lessons, equipment, feed, vet bills, not to mention riding fashions. You'll have all of us soccer, dance and even cheer parents beat (unless a sailing parent comes along :)).


Look at the drop in soccer. The key message here is that lower income kids are less likely to participate due to cost

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...d-unqualified-coaches/?utm_term=.d0b49ad3edb3

I agree that income is a cost barrier to less wealthy kids, but I'm not convinced it's as big a barrier as child care and transportation....but even then there's ways around it...you only have to see some of the Latino heavy teams in Oxnard, the Valley, and Simi to see that's true (much more true, BTW, of the boys side than the girls)...not saying it's not a barrier and we aren't missing some talent....and that barrier gets worse once you get out of the silver level and higher into the more competitive leagues. I'm also not sure that the participation decline is largely due to costs...in fact, it seems that kids once they get to middle school and going towards high school they have to make an assessment of where to spend their time....if they don't see themselves as capable or motivated enough to do the rough up and out world of soccer they are choosing to do other things. Lastly, at the lower levels, there's independent clubs (which seem to blow up often but exist) and now AYSO United providing more affordable opportunities, particularly for kids not looking to climb the up and out ladder. So I totally agree cost is a problem, but I also think it might be overstated.
 
Correct on other sports are more expensive. However you don't see everyone playing hockey or golf in Southern California. With club fees surpassing $3k, low income kids will be priced out. Club soccer is becoming a sport for the middle and upper income.
I can afford $3k a year but now I have to think about what I can do with $300 a month.

I know of a good number of clubs in San Diego that are below $2000 in club fees and a few that are still close to $1000. My daughter helps out with her clubs rec program and they had to add staff due to the large number of 5-10 year olds that came out this past fall and spring. I am sorry you have to pay $3000, but maybe there is a cheaper but still quality option out there in your area.
 
Youth sports are a lot of money for most people. If you are counting on youth sports as some type of financial return in lieu of good grades or investing in a college fund you are a moron.

I just try to look at it like taking a ski trip. It was expensive, but it was a lot of fun and I don’t expect anything down the road from it in return other than my kds hopefully having had a great childhood.
 
Just get an alternate source of income doing something you really enjoy. For me that is refereeing. I guess I was lucky when my daughter was playing club (currently a college player, club coach and referee). The money I made as a referee during one season of high school soccer covered all of her club fees plus travel for the year, so no out of pocket costs. The money I make now as a referee goes toward vacations. In the past year it paid for vacations to Grand Cayman (my sister lives there), Cabo, Pittsburgh (Steelers and Pirates games) and Disney World. That meant we went on a good 5-10 day vacation for either just my wife and I or the whole family once every 3 months. My daughter's referee money allowed her to take three trips to Grand Cayman in the past year. And, we also did not have to worry about college tuition because I am a disabled Veteran so my daughter goes to college for free at any California university (UC, CS, or JC).

I think it is crazy that people pay $3k to over $4K in initial club fees to have their kid play soccer.
 
..... and now AYSO United providing more affordable opportunities, particularly for kids not looking to climb the up and out ladder.

Some of these AYSO United teams that I have seen during State Cup have been really good. I was an AR on a boys game for State Cup with a Slammers team vs an AYSO United Team. During team check in I overhead several Slammers players comment that the game was going to be easy because they were playing an AYSO team. Then on the sideline I heard Slammers parents making similar comments. Game ended 6-1 with AYSO United winning. I thought after the game, "Fools. That is why the game is played on grass and not on paper." So, the $1000 a year team beat the $3000+ a year team.
 
Some of these AYSO United teams that I have seen during State Cup have been really good. I was an AR on a boys game for State Cup with a Slammers team vs an AYSO United Team. During team check in I overhead several Slammers players comment that the game was going to be easy because they were playing an AYSO team. Then on the sideline I heard Slammers parents making similar comments. Game ended 6-1 with AYSO United winning. I thought after the game, "Fools. That is why the game is played on grass and not on paper." So, the $1000 a year team beat the $3000+ a year team.

Some of these AYSO refs who don't get paid are better too!
 
Wow $3k is a lot in my opinion. Logic should dictate that as you progress up the levels/flights, the costs should decrease, due to clubs being more competitive to have you on their team. Glad to hear lots of DA clubs are free, this should always be the case at the top levels.
 
Some of these AYSO United teams that I have seen during State Cup have been really good. I was an AR on a boys game for State Cup with a Slammers team vs an AYSO United Team. During team check in I overhead several Slammers players comment that the game was going to be easy because they were playing an AYSO team. Then on the sideline I heard Slammers parents making similar comments. Game ended 6-1 with AYSO United winning. I thought after the game, "Fools. That is why the game is played on grass and not on paper." So, the $1000 a year team beat the $3000+ a year team.

As an AYSO United parent we hear this all the time, always keeps us amused. Might be because we play CSL that the big clubs don't see us in league play.
 
Those numbers look awfully high to me. They must have surveyed a lot of parent with kids in U8 or younger. Most people I know are somewhat realistic after a few years in club soccer.

I do agree that benefits out-weigh the cost. For $3,000:
-I can go hack 52 rounds of golf per year instead of hanging out with my DD. With my handicap, this is about 50% enjoyment and 50% frustration.
-Take a family of four on vacation. Won't be able to fly very far and it lasts a week or less only.
-Watching my DD play soccer - priceless.

Do not believe so. Nothing in the data set would imply that the parents of U-littles. In fact just the opposite. The survey says most of the money spent is for travel and team fees. Don't think too many U-little players travel so much that it dominates the costs.

Also the survey is not specific to soccer. Just youth sports in general, including soccer. Both individual and team sports considered.
 
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