Finding the money for your children to pursue their interests can be difficult.
Take youth sports, for example. Sports can be expensive, and the more children you have, the heavier the financial burden.
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Now, imagine Barbara and Lee, who have two children that are aspiring athletes. Their eldest son, Ricky, is passionate about football and right now, his parents can afford to keep him on the field.
But their daughter, Sarah, is now 6 years old and wants to play soccer with her friends. Barbara and Lee can afford Ricky’s football, but now they’re wondering if they will be able to work Sarah’s soccer into their tight budget.
To figure out how Barbara and Lee can make this work, let’s get into the numbers.
The true cost of youth sports
In 2024, the typical American family spent an average of $1,016 on a child’s primary sport — up 46% from 2019 — and $1,491 for all of that child’s sporting experiences, according to the Aspen Institute’s Project Play report. (1)
Of course, a lot depends on the particular sport that a child takes up. At the lower end, a recreational baseball league might only cost a few hundred dollars for the season, but families with a child in an elite football program, like Ricky, can spend a lot more money every year.
On top of registration fees, equipment costs — like helmets, cleats, shoulder pads and uniforms — can easily drive up the costs. And then there’s the travel required for tournaments and away games, which could throw the added costs of gas, meals and hotels into the mix.
Across all sports, American parents spent the most money on travel and lodging ($414), team registrations ($279), lessons and instructions ($264), equipment and uniforms ($250) and camps or athlete schools ($221) in 2024, according to the Project Play report.
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Budgeting for two child athletes
At this stage, Ricky is deeply committed to his football, while the much younger Sarah may still be figuring out which sport she’s passionate about.
If this is true, one strategy that Barbara and Lee can deploy is to set an overall extracurricular budget for the family and decide how to divide it fairly. This could mean that Ricky’s football receives a larger share in a given year, while Sarah still gets enough financial support to try a sport or activity of her choice.
Barbara and Lee can then reassess each season based on the results and benefits to see if the extracurricular budget needs to be adjusted.
How to save for youth sports
With the cost of youth sports going up, lawmakers and politicians have also started to recognize the strain that this can inflict on American families.
Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey recently introduced bipartisan legislation to make youth sports more affordable. The proposed PLAY Act would let parents claim a tax credit of up to $2,000 per child for sports-related costs, and also create federal grants to support local leagues. (2)
Other bills, like the Personal Health Investment Today Act, would let families use health savings or flexible spending accounts to pay for youth sports. While these ideas are still in the proposal stage, politicians are aware of the issue and, if they get their way, help could soon be on the horizon. (3)
But until then, parents with athletic children should look for ways to save in order to free up some money for their kids’s interests. Here are some potential money-saving strategies to consider:
- Buy secondhand gear or reused equipment. Kids can grow out of equipment quickly and this can help with keeping the gear costs down
- Take advantage of the strong camaraderie in the sports community by organizing carpools or sharing hotel rooms for travel games
- Check out your local options. Some municipal recreation departments offer subsidies or sliding-scale fees, and some leagues offer discounts if parents volunteer
- School-based athletics can be another affordable alternative since schools and districts often cover equipment and facility expenses
Youth sports can be a great way to enrich your child’s life, but they can also put strain on family budgets. The key is to adopt a balanced approach and get creative with some careful planning so that you can invest in what your kids love without jeopardizing your financial stability.
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Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Project Play (1); Josh Gottheimer website (2); Health and Fitness Association (3)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.