Club sports are a significant investment done for children, but little do they know that the cost quickly adds up in tournaments, and gear. According to a study, parents pay nearly $500 per month for their children to participate in competitive elite team run by non-school clubs. Over 20% of parents spend roughly $1,000 per month in club sports for their children. The final expense of club sports comes from training services, travel expense, accommodations, and equipment.
What is the Cost of Playing With Sports Clubs in the USA? Parents pay nearly $3500 to $5000 per year for their child to play with a high-end club team. Moreover, the cost adds up in travel cost, accommodation and training sessions to another $3000 or more.
Here’s is the average cost or expense for playing with sports clubs in the USA
Baseball
Parents spend over $7000 for availing extra training services and to play out of state tournaments. Travel baseball cost around an average of $3500 per year. But you should add up other costs such as travel expense and up to $500 for uniform and equipment.
Basketball
Without sponsorship, the price tag of Basketball is nearly $5000 a year. However, if your child gets a chance on a Nike or Adidas sponsored AAU team, you will have to spend just $500 for everything. That said, the membership fee could be just under $20 a year.
Volleyball
For a competitive club the price tag is up to $6000, and when you play with a good team, the travel and accommodation expense could add up to become $10,000 per year. For a regional club, the fee is around $1600 per year.
Soccer
Depending on the club, the membership cost could cost up to $5000 per year. Some teams could have an additional registration fee. Although the price is all-inclusive, parents have to spend more on travel and other player development programs. Parents spend from $500 to $5000 in fees for spring and fall season games.
Softball
The team fees are nearly $1200, but the travel and accommodation cost could add up to $4000. The gear and equipment cost will range from $200 to $500. For 40 weeks of training, parents should expect to spend nearly $3500.
Club sports have been taking athletes away from high school sports. Many parents believe playing in sports clubs will help their child to get recruited, whereas others think that the high school team is enough to get drafted.
A survey done by NCAA on over 21,000 college athletes reveal that:
- 95% of women and 93% of men played in soccer clubs.
- 92% of women and 89% of men played in basketball clubs.
- 91% of women volleyball player played with a club team.
- 90% of women and 88% of men competed in swimming clubs.
- 94% of softball players were with a club team.
- 87% of baseball players were with a club team.
- 91% of women and 86% of men competed with ice hockey clubs.
- 24% of football players were with a club team.
- 32% of women and 31% of men were on a track club team.
Average Cost of High School Athletics
- Baseball – $200
- Basketball – $200
- Football – $200
- Softball – $200
- Volleyball – $200
- Soccer – $175
- Tennis – $150
- Wrestling – $200
- Golf – $200
- Track – $150
Cost of Sports Equipment and Gear
Lacrosse – $870
- Helmet – $250
- Gloves – $130
- Arm Pads – $70
- Shoulder Pads – $120
- Strung Head – $80
- Shaft – $100
- Cleats – $120
Hockey – $1950
- Skates – $1000
- Stick – $300
- Helmet – $80
- Shoulder Pads – $190
- Elbow Pads – $70
- Gloves – $90
- Pants -$140
- Shin Guards – $60
- Socks – $20
Baseball – $720
- Bat – $260
- Glove – $240
- Batting glove – $50
- Helmet – $70
- Cleats – $100
Golf – $2160
- Driver – $280
- Putter – $200
- Iron Set – $1100
- Fairway Wood – $200
- Footwear – $170
- Bag – $210
Skiing – $2500
- Skis – $950
- Boots – $320
- Bindings – $270
- Poles – $120
- Helmet – $160
- Goggles – $130
- Jackets – $350
- Pants – $200
The true cost of youth sports based on expert’s survey
According to Greg Cruthers, parents today pay $200 for entry level B-clubs. A 12 year old playing locally with an elite club spend up to $3000 a year. A 18 year old player playing internationally in an elite club along with weekly lessons pay up to $25,000 per year.
According to Time Magazine, a 10-year-old boy named Joey Erace has already put over $30,000 in his baseball career. The annual cost of baseball and softball is now over $4000 a year. A serious ballet dancer spends nearly $120,000 in 15 years of training. For a kid of 7-year-old, the yearly expense for ballet dancing can go up to $8300.
For cheerleading, parents have claimed to spend nearly $6000 a year. On the other hand, schools charge over $3000 a year and a regular high school will charge nearly $1000 per year. Parents in California have spent over $10,000 on club volleyball for their children.
Who Should Opt for Club Teams?
Athletes who want to build a career in one sport and want to improve their skills in one particular sport, a club team would be a great option for coaching and skill development. On the other hand, if the child is participating in multiple sports, high-school sports should be the right option.
Related Questions
Can DA soccer player play high school? No, Development Academy soccer players cannot play in high school.
Can you play both high school and club sports? Yes, you can play both high school, and club sports provided the schedule doesn’t overlap.
What is the most expensive high school sport? Ice Hockey is the most expensive high school sport that cost an average of $600 for equipment alone.
Conclusion
In reality, parents can expect to spend thousands of dollars for their young child to join elite club teams and moreover, many parents do spend that amount of money hope that it will pay off in the future. Many said, they are using the athletic scholarship to cover over 50% of their child’s college expense, which gives them additional room to spend on sports.
Youth sports cost is at its all-time high, and parents should forecast their year-long expense before enrolling their child a club team. From experience, it can be said that parents could spend nearly $20,000 to $30,000 or more on their child’s youth sports. Although youth sports will benefit an athlete more on skill development and exposure, it makes no sense for a 6th-grade student to go to camps when they are good enough with college coaches.
