These days, many junior sports come with considerable upfront and running costs that seem to get more and more expensive every year. This can make it difficult for families who want to encourage their kids to get involved with many different sporting activities. This is amplified when you have two, three or more children all interested in multiple sports. So how do you decide what sports to invest in? This article is here to help you by looking at some common sports and the current costs that can include…

• Equipment
• Uniforms
• Registration
• Travel, food, drink
• Representative competitions
• Social nights
• Trophies
• And many other costs

But before we look at the costs of playing some of the more common junior sports, there’s one way to help reduce the costs of your child sporting endeavours. Obviously you want your child to play the sports they are most interested in, but this can sometimes be hard when there are two or three different sports they’re keen to play. You don’t want to be forking out large sums of money for registration, equipment and uniforms on sports that your child may only play a handful of times before quickly losing interest and motivation. A great way to avoid this common problem and help your child decide what sports they really want to play long term is by enrolling them in an Australian Sports Camps Program. These 3-day camps offer kids the opportunity train, play and be coached by some of the stars of the game. They can meet other kids who are interested in the sports and have a much clearer idea of whether they want to enrol in a full season of competition, without having to pay for the uniforms, registration or any other equipment. These camps are run all over Australia during the school holidays and include sports such as…

• Basketball
• Cricket
• AFL
• Rugby League
• Rugby Union
• Soccer
• Hockey
• Netball, and
• Tennis

See when the next Australian Sport Camps are held in your city with our upcoming school holiday programs.

Costs Of Junior Sports

Any parent would know that finding affordable sports for kids to play is getting harder and harder. Below is a guide for covering the costs of playing a few of the most popular Australian junior sports. *All prices listed are a guide as prices vary from region to region and club to club.

Soccer

Soccer is Australia’s most popular junior team sport and also is one of the most expensive on average. Start-up costs for junior soccer:

• Registration: $200
• Team hooded top: $50
• Socks: $10
• Shorts: $35
• Mouthguard (orthodontist approved) $200-250 after rebate
• Boots: $75-150
• Football (free with registration)
• Backpack: $50

Total: $620-$745

Basketball

Basketball fees can vary widely across the country so please check your local club for their fees. Start-up costs for junior basketball:

• Shorts and singlet: $95
• Basketball: $90
• Socks: $10
• Fees: $550 a year

Total: $805

Netball

Many netball clubs have many volunteers which can sometimes reduce the cost for families to join.

• Registration (NetSetGo): $86
• T-shirt: Free with rego
• Socks: $10
• Shoes: $100
• Leggings: $30
• Netball: Free with rego

Total: $226

Aussie Rules

Another very popular sport amongst kids, AFL can come with some hefty start-up costs.

• Registration inc. club polo shirt: $235
• Socks: $10
• Shorts: $35
• Mouthguard (orthodontist approved) $225 after rebate
• Boots: $100
• Backpack: $50

Total: $655

Gymnastics & other sports

Many other individual sports such as gymnastics, swimming and calisthenics can be much more expensive with personalised training and less government funding to reduce the costs. Here are some guide costs for a year of girl’s calisthenics…

• Leotard: $40
• Leggings: $20
• Clubs: $20
• Fees: $1500 a year.
• Incidentals such as accommodation for competition: $500 a year

Total: $2,080 So, as you can see these costs quickly start to add up if your child decides they want to play two or three sports each year. And these lists of fees and costs above do not even include the weekly and one-off expenses of travel, food, accommodation, special events, representative duties, social nights and awards nights. But there are still some things you can do to save money.

How To Save Money On Junior Sports

Try Before You Commit

As we mentioned earlier, you can avoid paying the start-up costs for sports, if your kids just want a trial, by enrolling them in a 3-day Sports Camp. This is a great time and money saver if your child has the potential to lose interest quickly or has a list of sports they are interested in and can’t choose one to focus on. See upcoming sports camp dates and pricing

Buy Used Equipment

Every year families are throwing out perfectly good sports equipment or storing items in the back of the shed never to be used again. With junior sports girls and boys growing so quickly, you can often get great gear in good condition for a fraction of the price of new equipment. For example, look at eBay or ‘buy, swap and sell’ groups on Facebook to find used equipment at more affordable pricing. In many cases, you can often find brand new gear, or hardly worn, at a fraction of the price for buying new items.

Take Advantage Of Early Registration Discounts

Many sporting clubs offer an early bird discount for kids that sign up before their chosen cut-off date. If you know what sport you child wants to play, do some research early in the year to find the clubs offering discounted registration.

Other Money Savers

There are lots of simple tips you can use to save money. And trust me it all adds up.

• Carpool with other families to save on travel costs.
• Pack lunches to avoid paying the sometimes-high prices for food and drink at sports clubs.
• Volunteer your time as a coach, assistant or umpire to get a discount on fees.

In summary, I hope this article has helped you get a better idea of the costs of different sports and given you some great tips on how to make your childrens’ sporting expenses more affordable.