What to Do When You Can’t Afford Your Kid’s Sport – U.S. News & World Report (blog)

As parents, we want to encourage our kids to dream big and to
do what they love. And school sports are an excellent way to boost a child’s
confidence, get in some healthy activity and even have fun as a family.

But before you sign up for Little League or the high school
hockey team, it’s worth your while to think through the costs of a sport.
Pay-to-play, added fees, meals at the baseball diamond, not to mention the
equipment – these costs add up.

Then if your child decides to pursue a sport through non-school
and travel leagues, your bank account could really take a hit.

With younger kids, cost tends to be less of an issue. But as
your children get older, you may want to have conversations with them about
the cost of their sport of choice. And if you’re finding your budget in a bind
due to your multi-sport athlete, you may want to consider options for reducing
participation costs.

Breaking Down the Costs

Costs for playing sports vary from school to school. And if
your kids are playing outside of school – for a church, nonprofit league,
local YMCA, or parks and recreation department team – the costs can vary even
more.

The Kids Play USA Foundation tracks the average
cost of school and non-school sports around the nation and estimates that
participation fees cost between $100 and $400 per child, per sport each season.
Of course, schools without a pay-to-play rule and sports with less expensive
equipment can lower these costs.

Equipment costs also vary from sport to sport. With volleyball, for
instance, players generally just need a uniform and some knee pads. Soccer
requires cleats and shin guards, while baseball and softball require loads of
equipment that can be quite expensive.

When looking at equipment costs, remember that most equipment
will have to be replaced every couple years. Older athletes who don’t grow as quickly may be able to wear the same pair of cleats for two years in a row.
But younger kids will quickly outgrow everything from shorts and cleats, to
shin guards and knee pads. And even track and cross country, which are
relatively low-cost sports, will require new shoes on a regular basis.

The Price of Time

Of course, money is a big factor when it comes to choosing
school sports. But athletics come with other costs, too.

For one thing, sports are a huge time commitment for students
and their families. All the time spent at practices, games and in the car to
get to and from said practices and games can really take a toll on family time.

Another big cost of sports is your child’s health and well-being.
Yes, childhood obesity is an epidemic. And, yes, sports can be a great way to
get your child off the couch. However, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine says more and more studies are showing that over-participation in sports can cause burnout and overuse injuries.

This is especially true of kids who specialize in a particular
sport early on and become competitive at a young age. Interestingly enough, younger kids who specialize and compete in sports are also more likely to participate in
more expensive elite clubs and travel leagues, which can cost thousands of
dollars per year.

Ways to Spend Less

None of this is to say that sports participation is a bad
thing. In fact, plenty of research (and life experience) shows that athletics
is great for kids – it gives them a chance to practice teamwork, make friends, solve problems and
stay active.

With that said, too many parents jump into every sport under
the sun feet first with no thought to the financial, familial or physical
consequences. Don’t be that parent! Instead, consider ways you can lower the cost
of your child’s sports participation. Try these ideas on for size:

• Make kids take
  one or two seasons off per year. This gives you some reprieve from the
  constant sports runaround, gives your kids’ bodies a chance to rest and limits
  your spending.

• Set serious
  boundaries around family time. If sports is eating up all your weeknights
  and most of your weekends, find at least some down time as a family. And then,
  take that time seriously. Investing in your kids by showing up at games and
  practices is important, but taking time for actual conversations with them is
  even more important.

• Look for used
  equipment. Since equipment fees are one of the biggest financial factors
  for sports, look for high-quality used equipment on Craigslist or eBay. You
  could save a fortune with this single trick.

• Raise money from
  local organizations. Often, local youth sports leagues are sponsored by
  local business owners. If your child’s current league doesn’t offer this, ask
  if you can approach local businesses for support yourself or organize fundraisers.

• Have your child
  chip in. Is one of your young athletes showing serious potential and
  dedication to a particular sport? If he or she wants to participate in
  expensive travel or elite leagues, that’s great. But have your kid pitch in with
  the costs by getting a job in the offseason. Not only does this lighten the
  load a bit, but it also teaches your child about working for what he or she
  really wants.

Kids’ sports don’t have to completely break the bank, but you
also don’t have to ban them. Healthy participation in youth sports just takes
goals, boundaries and planning ahead.