Anonymous
Post 04/22/2026 12:26     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
I have a friend with a kid in formula racing. They are spending over $1 mil a year, perhaps closer to $1.5. This is appalling to me, but also gratifying so that I don’t feel so bad about $15-20k a year for two sectionals/futures level swimmers.
Anonymous
Post 04/22/2026 08:36     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am a gymnastics parent with Arlington. The proposed fee increases will raise rates significantly with some parents paying nearly 12k a year (not including meet fees, uniforms, hotels, plane tickets etc). So easily another 5k in some cases (current rate is over 8k a year)

But it got me thinking what do folks pay for other competitive sports. I know individual.sports tend to be pricy (competitive rock climbing and archery are close to $500 a month/6k a year).

But what are folks paying for team sports. Just wondering what folks really pay out there. Do people regularly pay 10k plus for just the sport (so not including equipment, uniforms, travel)?


I'm sure some do, but I'll throw this out there for soccer which is one of the most popular. Just paid $3195 for ECNL (widely considered the top level girl's platform) for U13 for next year. Our club seems to be a bit on the cheaper side, but say 3000-4500 before travel/uniforms is about the going rate.


Can you share a rough estimate or how much you spend total in a year? That is if you include the uniform, equipment, travel and of course any camps or coaching. Would be a helpful datapoint for someone in ECNL


I'm not the OP, but can give you a general idea: Club cost between $3000 and $4500; Uniforms every two years between $200 and $600 + cleats (up to 3 different types: flat, turf, grass - from $30 and up per set); (obvious) regular "local" travel - gas/time; out of state tournaments: team/league dependent - could be nothing, could be thousands; Extra training (if your kid is on a good team and wants to stay there or wants to be competitive and/or get on a stronger team): group lessons $1000 to $2000... private lessons run between $80 to $200 per hour, so possibly another $5000 per year (obviously player/parent dependent); Summer league or summer camp (at least part of summer) to keep skills from declining - $1000 to $4000;

But just regular travel on a 3rd team should not cost more than $4000 a year or so (as long as you dont really do anything extra).
Anonymous
Post 04/22/2026 08:06     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
The easiest way to save money on sports is to not let your kid play certain sports from the start.

It’s not like the DMV has organic ways to play hockey. The local pounds don’t freeze over and kids just go out and play. You have to be hauling your kid to an ice rink from the start.

There are dozens of sports you can guide your five year old to play.
Anonymous
Post 04/22/2026 06:07     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:We have one in volleyball and one in soccer. Volleyball club fee is $4,000 plus travel expenses. They have three tournaments this year that require flights + hotel, so about $1,500 for each of those. Another few tournaments that are hotel only, so about $1,000 there. Other kid is in travel soccer, but the club isn’t outrageous with the travel demands or cost. It’s just $2,300 for the year.


Do you live in MD? We are in VA and the clubs are so expensive. We paid around 7k for the club last year. With camps and privates that cost is several thousand more per year. Well over 10k. I never added it. Then the travel for tournaments, which included overpriced hotels and some flights.

Thankfully she decided to drop club this year and we said we would put all that towards a car. Her main motivation was the time commitment was becoming too much in HS. But we are thrilled to not be spending this much on a sport.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 23:40     Subject: Re:Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:We’re a competitive swim family. Our swimmer is an age grouper, so still young and not practicing every day. We spend about $4,500-$5,000 all in for winter and summer rec swim seasons, meet fees, equipment, occasional private lessons, and other miscellaneous. Costs will go up as he swims more and starts wanting to buy tech suits. And if he gets really good we’ll have to factor in the cost of travel. But generally, there’s enough swimming competition in this area you don’t need to travel far to find it.


Mine swam national training level through HS, spent about the same.
$5k in training, meet fees
Plus, tech suits ($600/year - deals through club) and travel ($2-3k per year depending on team travel vs family travel and schedule/flying vs driving, etc.)
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 20:48     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:AAA hockey is over $30k per season - breakdown from highest to lowest cost:

- Travel: some years, over $20k. Every tournament that requires flying costs at least $2k between flights, a rental car, a pay-to-play hotel, and meals out. Some tournaments are $3k if flights are expensive and 4 nights of hotel are required.
- Team Dues
- Equipment ($300 per stick, and you go through 2-3 per season, $1k for skates with blades, plus the rest)
- Summer camps (they all do them)
- Clinics
- Privates (1 or more a week for power skating and stick handling)
- Team swag
- Skate sharpenings
- Live Barn account
- Stick and Puck sessions


Would you say travel is over 2/3 of the cost? So $10k if you don’t count that?
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 20:46     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am a gymnastics parent with Arlington. The proposed fee increases will raise rates significantly with some parents paying nearly 12k a year (not including meet fees, uniforms, hotels, plane tickets etc). So easily another 5k in some cases (current rate is over 8k a year)

But it got me thinking what do folks pay for other competitive sports. I know individual.sports tend to be pricy (competitive rock climbing and archery are close to $500 a month/6k a year).

But what are folks paying for team sports. Just wondering what folks really pay out there. Do people regularly pay 10k plus for just the sport (so not including equipment, uniforms, travel)?


I'm sure some do, but I'll throw this out there for soccer which is one of the most popular. Just paid $3195 for ECNL (widely considered the top level girl's platform) for U13 for next year. Our club seems to be a bit on the cheaper side, but say 3000-4500 before travel/uniforms is about the going rate.


Can you share a rough estimate or how much you spend total in a year? That is if you include the uniform, equipment, travel and of course any camps or coaching. Would be a helpful datapoint for someone in ECNL
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 20:21     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:And this is part of why I am against college sports recruiting. It’s a backdoor entry for rich kids.


LOL 4k sport vs 60k private school hmm


And should add the kids that are actually good get a free ride
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 20:16     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:And this is part of why I am against college sports recruiting. It’s a backdoor entry for rich kids.


LOL 4k sport vs 60k private school hmm
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 20:15     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:Add on top of the normal fees- PT with a sports therapist at $400 per week.


Nope!
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 20:13     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
And this is part of why I am against college sports recruiting. It’s a backdoor entry for rich kids.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 20:12     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This thread reminds me of how off the rails youth sports has gone.


Agree 100%. But some of this is what parents are demanding. Everyone has dreams of D1 scholarships and helping Young Junior maximize their potential. And there are so many businesses now ready to just take that money.

As the parent of an above-average athlete, it takes everything in my power to resist the temptation to go all in and simply let him have fun in whatever he wants to try, and take his lead on where he wants to spend more time and focus in a given season.


It's really hard not to get sucked in, especially once your kid makes a great team and they are competing for playing time. You may know your kid will never get a D1 scholarship, but you still want to help them succeed. I think the best way to avoid getting sucked in is probably to avoid trying out for competitive sports.


Thankfully we still have some decent rec leagues here. But I assume that will peter out as the kids get older, the serious ones move to travel, the multisport athletes begin to specialize, and the kids who are playing just for fun give up.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 19:29     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
We have one in volleyball and one in soccer. Volleyball club fee is $4,000 plus travel expenses. They have three tournaments this year that require flights + hotel, so about $1,500 for each of those. Another few tournaments that are hotel only, so about $1,000 there. Other kid is in travel soccer, but the club isn’t outrageous with the travel demands or cost. It’s just $2,300 for the year.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 17:25     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We do travel hockey, and it cost about $14,000 last year. This included fees and travel to in-season tournaments. We also do things on the cheap side, so will drive for anything under 8 hours, there are many families that choose to fly more frequently, so could certainly be several $K more if you choose to do that. In addition, this does not include anything extracurricular like occasional clinics/skills sessions, HS hockey, spring/summer tournaments/camps


OP here, I heard hockey was pricy too! Sounds like hockey is up there with individual sports. Why idea why is pricey compared to other team sports? Limited facilities? More specialized training?

So you have parent or paid coaches? I feel like soccer and baseball use a lot of parent coaches whereas gymnastics, etc uses paid. Wondering if that is similar in hockey. [/quot

Yes dumb dumb


Parent coaches are in rec leagues. No, travel soccer and travel baseball generally don't have parent coaches. Travel soccer is around $3000 a year.


But they arent full time paid coaches right?
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 17:21     Subject: Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We do travel hockey, and it cost about $14,000 last year. This included fees and travel to in-season tournaments. We also do things on the cheap side, so will drive for anything under 8 hours, there are many families that choose to fly more frequently, so could certainly be several $K more if you choose to do that. In addition, this does not include anything extracurricular like occasional clinics/skills sessions, HS hockey, spring/summer tournaments/camps


OP here, I heard hockey was pricy too! Sounds like hockey is up there with individual sports. Why idea why is pricey compared to other team sports? Limited facilities? More specialized training?

So you have parent or paid coaches? I feel like soccer and baseball use a lot of parent coaches whereas gymnastics, etc uses paid. Wondering if that is similar in hockey.


Yes dumb dumb


Parent coaches are in rec leagues. No, travel soccer and travel baseball generally don't have parent coaches. Travel soccer is around $3000 a year.