Post by karinothing on Apr 19, 2024 9:53:01 GMT -5
DS does rec baseball. It cost like $125 a season or something? That covers uniform and league fees. WE do have to buy new bats and gloves as he grows and those can be $100 each, but the league provides them if we can't.
DS2 does gymnastics and that is something like $3200 just for team fees. Then probably another 1K for meets and $200 for uniform and warmups. Then hotels for travel.
I used to work in buying for the largest sporting goods chain in the company. It was well known that parents would make sacrifices to afford sports for their kids. Baseball is an interesting one as it is popular for little kids thru maybe 4th grade, then it has a huge drop off in participation. Lacrosse has picked up a lot of that since it's fast-paced.
Club teams are just a way to make money.
We would go on much more lavish vacations if my kids weren't so damn athletic. lol
DS plays hockey so just for that along far too much. League cost $900, He also joined this pre-select program which I believe was around $1,500 - his gear runs about $300-500 a year and we have to get his skates sharpened every month $10 Hockey runs from October - April, EVERY Saturday & Sunday (except for holidays and with some weekdays thrown in as well) DS is also in a ball hockey league this spring, which was $200 for 10 weeks (they play every Saturday & Sunday) Not a sport but DS does in-home piano lessons each week and they are $45 a lesson
Soccer for both kids over the summer - $500 Swimming is $600 for both kids every 3 months Dance is $75 every month for DD DD did skating over the winter and it was $300
Post by fancynewbeesly on Apr 19, 2024 20:55:51 GMT -5
My girls (age 5 and 12) both do rec softball. I think it is 80 each for the seaon/fees. They do provide a team shirt. At the higher age group, you need to get cleats, pants, socks, bat, glove, helmet and fielders mask.
At the t-ball level you need a glove, bat, helmet and mask. My DD2 just gets all of DD1s hand me downs. Which offsets the cost. I love it because our rec league is TRULY rec league---there are some very good players on the teams---even some travel players, but they let EVERYONE have a chance to play/pitch/catch etc. They rotate positions. They really want the girls to have fun and learn new skills.
DD2 also does dance which was 90 dollars for registration and 60 a month. (It includes costumes, recital fees, everything)
My son is super into soccer, he wanted to do club soccer but I found out it’s $3500 a year in fees and $600 for the uniform. Insanity. We took him to a practice and honestly the boys weren't better than him - he is almost 10 and is already fairly good from just playing Rec soccer and playing with friends all the time so we decided no club soccer for now. hard to justify the cost and it would take over our lives. It is year round and would affect ski season.
So I suppose for Rec soccer and his indoor league .. $100 per session. maybe $500 - $600 a year.
My daughter is almost 12 and not sporty, doing track after school ($110 for the session). That is about it.
As a family we ski and mountain bike, those are expensive too (gear, season passes) but that’s not really a kid specific sport.
Post by starburst604 on Apr 20, 2024 5:57:38 GMT -5
Town hockey is $1500 a season, tournaments are additional. Club hockey is $3000 a season but we have to buy some uniform pieces. That does include the cost of tournaments at least. Then of course there are travel and lodging costs for those too. Club soccer is $2500 plus uniforms for about $300. Tournament fees included. More travel and lodging. Town soccer costs like nothing, $150 maybe?
I had to factor all of this in for the financials document in the divorce proceedings and was like wow. All of this plus tryout fees, coaches gifts, end of season parties etc, it’s a lot!
One kid does an emerging rec sport, that’s I think $125ish for the season. She does spring and fall. Yay for rec! She also now does travel ball, $700 for the season, $200 uniform and bag, 6 travel tournaments but we can drive or stay with family for most. Entrance fees to get into the last one were $15/pp per day, $25 for the weekend. We will see if we do it again in the fall. Summer swim is $180 plus meet fees, swimsuit, cap, goggles, and mandatory parental volunteering.
Other kid is on a team, I forget how much for gym time, I want to say $260/mo basically year round. Meet fees are about $120 per pop (we’ve had about six)? So far we’re coming up on only our second hotel stay for this sport, and I booked for two nights in a desirable area so that’s like $475? We also had to volunteer a combined twelve hours across the weekend we hosted. And the leo was $280 (gah) but should last for next season too. There is also a meet spectator entrance fee of about $25/pop. All told this is still cheaper than the therapy we also have her in, both of which help keep her at her best, and I think it is worth it.
This is our first year really digging in for this for both kids. My husband is convinced travel sports are like timeshares - let’s get you in and paid for for your precious and then you’re stuck in perpetuity because of all the sunk costs. 🤣
It makes me miss our cross country days, $125/kid per season plus like $5 per meet.
Brief plug for Girl Scouts - not a sport but a deal at $25 a year paid to counsel. We tend to roll over cookie money to pay troop dues. There are funding sources available to families too for uniform and dues and we generally keep things pretty cheap. Of course the time I spend co-running two troops is something else but at least there aren’t huge financial barriers to entry.
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Apr 20, 2024 6:37:19 GMT -5
DD in 6th still does rec soccer and softball. I *think* this might be the last year for it, and that next year if she wants to play, she'll have to play for the school teams (we have a 7th/8th middle school), but I'm not positive. Those are reasonably priced at something like $125 for the season with uniforms provided.
She also does dance, which is much more expensive, but her studio is not a competitive one. She is on their production team, so they do 1 conference per year that is an extra cost (the registration fee, plus it is always held at kalahari so the stay there (which isn't necessary but can you imagine taking a kid to something there and then not staying and allowing them to go to the water park at all? we tend to try to go as a family and make a weekend of it), plus the costumes, pictures, recital tickets, etc.
Ds does marching band, which isn't really a 'sport' but just went on the band trip, so that expense is fresh in my mind and was more expensive than a full season of dance.
Post by snapoutofit on Apr 20, 2024 6:51:26 GMT -5
DS plays baseball. He’s on his high school freshman team which is a $300.00 registration fee. That goes from April until school gets out so mid/late June. He also plays on a club team. That was $2500.00 which included two uniforms, 2 game hats and a helmet. They had winter workouts 2x/wk starting after Christmas. Tournaments (2) require 1-2 nights in a hotel. Optional winter workout for HS team was $300.00
Basic equipment: 2 bats, batting gloves, cleats, cups, 1st base glove, catchers gear = ~ $2500.00. That doesn’t include the “little stuff” eye black, pine tar, bat tape, the list goes on and on and adds up lol.
He and DH are avid skiers as well but I won’t include that since it’s not an organized school or club/rec thing.
I’m surprised at the low costs for all of these rec soccer leagues! I just signed up my soon to be 6th grade son for fall soccer and it is $530 for the season, which does not include the uniform if you need a new shirt or anything.
We also pay roughly $180 per month per kid for two of my kids to do jiu jitsu.
My son was doing rock climbing for about $300 per month, but is currently taking a break.
Post by lovelovelove on Apr 20, 2024 20:04:27 GMT -5
Year round swim team 185 per month (plus membership to the gym- have to be a member to be on the team, I think for dd & me it is $240 per month). Meets around $55 average 1 meet per month. I also started getting her privates 2x per month bc she's not able to get to practice as much as recommended and she was worried about falling behind, so for right now another $90ish per month. Ugh. And she's going to do a camp this year that the majority of the tram does together. Yikes.
Dance $145 per month for 3 styles, Sept - June, plus $75 per costume per style. Plus recital tickets $20 per person.
As someone else mentioned- her activities are like therapy for her. She tells me her mind is never quiet except when she's in the pool and dance and swim are the only places she feels like she learns the same as everyone else and keeps up. My sweet girl. I'm so lucky we can afford this for her (although as other have said it is at the cost of giving up other things), and wish it wasn't a thing that this stuff prices people out. Or makes crazy parents. We have a few on her swim team and it is so uncomfortable for me to witness what is happening to those kids and the affect it has on other kids on the team.
Town/pseudo rec soccer is like $250 per season with fall being the main season and spring costing a little less. We have to buy cleats, shin guards and a soccer ball. There is a higher level within the league for the more talented kids. The league usually donates a free registration to the annual school auction. It went somewhere between $700 and $800 last year and I was a little confused because I know we don't pay that much. These types of prizes don't go for more than their value. This must mean that the kids in DD's grade that are actually good are paying that much which seems insane to me for a bunch of 4th or 5th graders.
Post by sandandsea on Apr 20, 2024 21:50:08 GMT -5
We pay about $4k for club (travel/comp/whatever it’s called where you are) soccer per year per kid (excluding the travel part). School spots for middle schooler are another $200 per sport per season so we spend another $400 there a year. We spent about another $250 on futsal for a season per kid.
DS1 plays high school football which is about $1000 for all the registration, fees, camp, conditioning and lifting. It also include his pads, helmet and uniform. He needs new cleats yearly so those about anywhere from $100-150. He also did track and field this year so that was $100 for registration and $125 for all the gear and meets. He needed running shoes, spikes for jumping and warmups so that was all about $350.
DS2 plays club football. Registration is $525. He’ll need a new helmet this year (I think?) and I can’t remember how much his helmet was the last time we got one. I’m hoping some of his pants fit from last year but if they don’t they’re about $120. We got new jerseys last year, those were about $100. Cleats for him are around $100. He played basketball for 2 leagues, one was $125 and one was $90. Basketball shoes-$125. And then track, registration was $90 and running shoes were $150.
The fees aren't high but the rest of it adds up - equipment, cleats, uniforms, clinics, etc
Softball - 145 Baseball - 150 3 day baseball clinic - 125 Karate - 1000/year for 2 kids (we know the owner so this is a reduced price), plus $40 fees for belt testing...costs will go up when they get to tournament levels Dance - 175 (insanely low because it's through the school) XCountry - 75
We probably spend around 400 - 1000 a year on softball/baseball, the higher number is for years when they need new bats
We also spend around 100 on gas and food to travel to games and practices 4 - 5 times a week.
I know families who spend a LOT more, hockey is big $$$ around us and we have friends in GA who spend thousands on baseball. Overall the fee to play is a very small piece of the cost.
The only sport our kids have done continuously is cross country and track and field. Through CYO is about $100/ season, high school (PIAA) is about $200/season, and the local AAU track club is around $100. Equipment, technically all you need are sneakers or spikes, that’s also $100 or so a season. Basic uniform is between $50-100 for AAU and high school (CYO is given back so free). You can purchase a lot of extra clothing though for endless amounts.
Running is a unique sport. I can’t really think of a situation where it gets super pricey. Once you get to state and national level you’ll obv. incur some travel costs but that’s only a couple times a season. And it’s not one of those sports where you need to be invited or pay up for top level coaching or competition. Our local track club is AMAZING. It routinely fields nationally ranked athletes, some who have even gone to medal in the Olympics and world championships. And they’re getting the same coaches that a first time special needs athlete gets (it’s an inclusive program).
Both of our kids play lacrosse. They both play for their school (7th and 9th grade) which is free, but it's a private school so nothing is really free. They also play on year round travel teams that have a fee that covers 12 months at a time. The fee covers uniforms, tournaments, coaches, practices. We pay about $3,500/kid per year in those fees. That does not cover equipment, hotels, etc. They both go to at least one collegiate camp in the summer. Our daughter also plays field hockey but that is more of a second/casual sport for her. She attends one camp per summer that is required by her HS team pre-season. Our son runs Cross Country and that, for us, has been the most economical sport ever. We just have to replace his running shoes ever 3-4 months.
Our daughter (14) refs rec lax (8U and 10U girls) and makes $40/game (games are about 35 min long). We joke that is her way of recouping fees. She refs 4-5 games per Saturday right now and will do the same in the fall/winter. Our son is 13 and as soon as he turns 14 in November plans to get certified too. If your towns have referee programs - get your kids involved! Such a great opportunity for leadership, teaching, exercise, and great money to time ratio.
Post by SusanBAnthony on Apr 21, 2024 12:02:41 GMT -5
I always felt like we spent a LOT on sports/activities but I guess not.
DD peaked at about 200$ a month for rec swim team.
Both now do HS sports/activities and a whole season is typically 200$ including fees and uniforms (you have to buy your own swimsuit for obvious reasons!) So maybe 1000$ a year total.
We had DS do private trumpet lessons for a while but other then that we have opted out of all private lessons, specialty camps, etc. There are tons of great low cost options here for summer stuff as they get older. Like both kids are on the school math team, and last year the math league did a residential math summer camp that was crazy cheap. DD does drop in swim for 5$ a session. Etc.
Our HS sports are free. Only costs are usually footwear and anything extra you choose (like my kid wanted gloves for football) but the entire uniform for all sports is borrowed, not purchased.
there's fundraising and concessions they like you to volunteer for.
Post by morecoffeeplease on Apr 21, 2024 13:07:16 GMT -5
Tae Kwon do was so expensive. $200 a month $80 everytime they test up a belt, $10 per board breaking class and $300 for the sparring uniform.
My son plays travel soccer and our club is all volunteer so it keeps the costs down however some of the travel soccer teams around here are well over $3000 with all the fees and extras.
Post by wanderlustmom on Apr 21, 2024 15:56:19 GMT -5
Our DS is in college now and still playing his intramural sports but there isn't a fee for those and he's working as a referee. He started club soccer in second grade not because he was exceptional he just loved playing and he wanted more than one game a weekend. So that was 2K a year. A lot of his friends waited until 5/6 but he was happy to run around out there with the other kids who wanted club early. He was on one for a few years with a lot of travel and that was 3K a year. Then in eighth grade he switched back to one that was 2K a year and more local travel. High school soccer was not expensive, $300 a season.
DD swam year round from kindergarten until junior year of high school. 2K a year. Meets were about 50 and those were usually once a month. She recently switched to water polo and that is about $300 for the club season. High school swim is about $300.
Yes it really was expensive but both of my kids are sporty and it was a big part of their childhoods.
Post by newnamesameperson on Apr 21, 2024 18:06:01 GMT -5
Kid1 is in competitive tennis, not rec level, which runs around $360/month minimum lessons then additional tournament entry costs. I’d say equipment (such a string replacement, grips, bags, shoes , etc.) would run around $400-600/ year. If we add core training and so forth that’ll be an extra $250/month (we’re not doing that at this point).
Kid2 baseball is minimal as we’re doing rec and that’s fine.
Post by jillybean222 on Apr 21, 2024 18:20:16 GMT -5
I have soccer players and runners. Soccer costs us about 6700 in player fees for all 3 plus whatever equipment they need (new cleats or uniform kits are extra) Running is mostly free bc it is a HS sport - obviously she needs training shoes and race shoes so it can add up but nowhere near what soccer costs. Mine are getting older and aging out of their club sports though. Next up, college costs will replace sports costs (which reminds me - if you haven't started a 529 yet DO IT NOW - holy moly college is wildly expensive, even for state schools! I feel blindsided!!).
When my DD was playing tennis, court time and coaching was about $600/month. She played 10-11 months a year. Plus tournament costs.
She is a great tennis player but did not want to go-out for the tennis team in high school because she did not like the other girls tennis players. Oh well.
I was looking for someone to mention tennis. I saw somewhere in this thread where it was mentioned a $35/ lesson which I’m assuming is a group clinic. It’s legit crazy between the private lessons, group clinics, tournaments, etc..
We’re going to tournaments where we meet kids who attend tennis academies as in 2.5 days of school and 2.5 days of tennis at school…+ the private lessons.
I don’t remember it being like that when I was a kid but maybe lol I wasn’t that great of a player so the possibility wasn’t there for me.