People keep telling me that kids of today are sitting in their rooms tapping away feverishly on iPads, iPods and mobiles instead of being outside and involved in recreation the way previous generations were.
The cliché is strong and media drives it. Cheap current affairs journalism assures me that our obesity problem stems from this lack of physical activity.
Anecdotally, I constantly hear about the lack of kids on bikes, skateboards, tennis and basketball courts and technology is the primary reason cited.
The parks do appear empty, the courts vacant and the streets void of active kids after school hours, yet such commentary is narrow and doesn’t realistically account for the whereabouts of our children.
We are witnessing a cultural change in the way our kids ‘play’. A fear-mongering media, technological advancement and an increasingly litigious environment has driven our kids from casual play to more organised and structured activities.
As a father of two, the picture I see through the lens of my own children’s recreational habits, is very different from the one peddled by the ‘back in the day’ crowd.
What I see is a trend for kids to be involved in organised sport as opposed to the ‘free play’ and mischievous type of fun I enjoyed around thirty years ago.
These days we get in the car to exercise; we travel to far flung places to represent clubs across a range of sports. As a result, kids gathering in cul-de-sacs and local parks for a makeshift game of cricket or touch football, has become something of a memory.
As a by-product, the cost to parents has become exorbitant in recent times. Somewhere along the line, people worked out that there was a mighty lot of money to be made from kids sport.
Those in question apparently had a picture of me on their whiteboard with a red bullseye on my face during their planning sessions. As I researched this article, the numbers started to scare me.
My kids would be fairly typical in Australia. They love their sport, yet with study and artistic pursuits also taking up considerable amounts of time, it doesn’t dominate their lives as it can for some extremely high performing children.
The year normally begins with Netball registration. At $200 per player, the sport isn’t cheap and the associated costs add weight.
Two pairs of netball specific shoes that protect ankles and provide ample weight in the coolness and credibility status are purchased over the Christmas break for the grand total of $320 bucks.
Skimping on the shoes could be an option for some and one that I have tried before. The $50 trainers were destroyed by mid-season and a second pair purchased with regret. I promised myself to never go down that road again.
A couple of pairs of bloomers and socks equate to an extra sixty dollars and we thank our lucky stars that the actual netball uniform still fits from the previous season.
Not sure where my two hundred actually goes, I’m sure the little trophy each player receives at seasons end costs something, yet somehow I always feel like I am making insurance companies and local associations wealthy.
Watching representative teams parade around in rather impressive looking tracksuits before boarding coaches to carnivals and competitions also raises questions about my yearly subscriptions to these associations.
My eldest took a chance and enrolled in football at her new high school despite being a novice and Sunday mornings were added to Saturday morning netball commitments.
Dad was dutifully asked to mentor a team of wonderful young women, keen to learn, yet still grappling with some of the basic fundamentals of the game.
Football involved $175 in registration fees; $65 for a club shirt, $110 for boots and shin pads. Ouch.
Some relief as daughter number two took no part in winter sport on Sundays.
As spring came around, both girls were asked to participate in teams. The newly crowned teenager cost me $90 for registration in a touch football comp to keep up the spirit and fitness levels from the recently completed football season, and the nine year old needed $125 dollars for Oz-Tag registration.
Throw in $35 for some comically sized Oz-tag shorts and $40 for a rather basic pair of boots to get her through her first season and the little one had made up the shortfall from her quiet winter.
Luckily, dancing has become less of a burden due to a quality troupe, run through my daughter’s high school. $200 gets me out of trouble for the year, with only a $600 costume adding to the cost.
Compared to the prices of private dance schools the girls attended at younger ages, this is a massive financial win for me.
Each year the principal of the school stands onstage at the completion of the concert that showcases the talent of girls and boys of all ages and thanks the parents excessively for kindly letting their children learn the art of dance.
This is code for, ‘Thanks for helping me build the new east wing on my property, and putting my children through the best schools in the area.’ The ‘license to print money’ cliché has never been more aptly used in my opinion.
Let’s throw in five terms of swimming lessons and squads across both children at $180 and $200 a term for my little one’s half-hour tennis lesson and the full picture is getting somewhat grim.
A weekday gymnastics glass sets us back a further $180 per term.
My financial misery saw me pay a measly $40 for the new tennis racquet, although it did have a picture of Roger Federer on it so it must be good.
A spring netball comp rounds out the year for the little one and is remarkably inexpensive at thirty five dollars.
For the statistically minded, here is a visual snapshot of my kids plan to send me broke.
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| Sport | Registration Fees | Uniform | Shoes | Miscellaneous | Total |
| Netball | $400 | $320 | $60 | $780 | |
| Football | $245 | $65 | $100 | $10 | $420 |
| OzTag | $125 | $35 | $40 | $200 | |
| Touch Football | $90 | $90 | |||
| Dance | $200 | $60 | $260 | ||
| Swimming | $890 | $890 | |||
| Tennis | $800 | $40 | $40 | $840 | |
| Gymnastics | $720 | $720 | |||
| Netball(spring) | $35 | $35 | |||
| Total | $3505 | $160 | $460 | $110 | $4235 |
Most parents I speak to concur with the rising costs involved in keeping their kids involved in physical activity.
In a straw poll among parents in our local community we are running around fifteenth in terms of money committed to our kids activities.
Involvement in individual sports such as golf, triathlon or tennis can place even more financial stress on families, particularly where sibling numbers exceed the nuclear-like two that my family contains.
The trend towards organised activities has created an unfair perception of young people and their participation, or lack of, in sport. The reality is that issues of insurance, safety and logistics, have shifted the dynamic and kids are as busy as they have ever been.
Unfortunately, the cost of these activities has become increasingly hard to manage and potentially alienates kids from less affluent families.
It is no coincidence that health issues and the stigma around overweight and lazy youth is more prevalent in less affluent families.
If families continue to be subjected to ever increasing fees to see their little ones compete against other kids, the fallout will undoubtedly be a continued stereotype that portrays our youth as lazy and inactive; something, that as a father of young kids, I know is not true.
DaniE
Roar Guru
Late reply, but yes to your last paragraph. Coaches and refs in high demand, short supply, and needs heaps more support than expected.
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
As someone who was on the committee of a junior cricket club I know that some clubs charge close to cost price for rego and hope to get extra money from fund raisers and sponsorship but some of the fees that I hear bout are exorbitant. And, as an extra cost don't forget about when kids get injured. The physio we use sees my kids almost as much as I do and add in 4 knee operations in the last 5 years and the 'extras' column starts adding up to more than the fees.
Harry
Guest
Nice read thanks Stuart and your point is a good one. I've had a rant about my personal experience coaching above but just wanted to add another perspective on how things have changed, and society. A lot of mornings I pass a park where a guy runs soccer training/skills for young kids - before primary school age. Its pretty basic stuff and features lots of encouragement and play. This activity is overseen by plenty of parents sitting on the grass enjoying their coffee and socialising, with the responsobility on the paid coach to keep the kiddies entertained and safe. I reflect that this essentially pleasant and postive scene is typical of our age - parents too busy or incapable of doing exactly the same thing themselves, responsibility of running a playgroup outsourced to a paid professional, parents using kids play as a social opportunity. Good luck to them all, particularly the guy running the sessions - but surely they could all save themselves $25 an hour and do it themselves? Guess not in today's affluent, time poor and disconnected world. Certainly I can remember as a parent of pre-schoolers looking forward to the weekend mid/late morning birthday parties, as it was one of the few chances I got to socialise and have a drink or two! As for the children, even at a young age the social play and sport is now regimented into an income earning, outsourced industry and service, with its own regulations and guarantees of and protection. And supposed honing of skills. Such is modern society.
Harry
Guest
About 5 years ago, after a lot of pushing from one daughter, I paid $300 plus $120 odd for boots and I guess another $100 on other kit (club gear, shin guards, it mounts up) for her to play soccer where she duly registered and was assigned to the second team. I was relieved that after 8 years of nippers age managing, I no longer had the responsibility of coaching. I did volunteer to help out with the administration etc but as I knew nothing about soccer was of no use as a coach. Lo and behold, my daughter calmly informed me that because her team had no other coach I was to coach them as I had been good as their nippers coach and was well known to love all sports. So I consulted the internet for basic soccer training drills, started watching match of the day on Fox (still can't bring myself to watch the A League, boring as ...) and got to it. Main things I learnt: - Keep the game plan simple, tell people their jobs. - Keep the praise levels high. No use shouting and cajoling ... that may well work with boys ... what works better with girls is appealing to teamwork and working together i.e. don't let your teammates down. - Aim for small skill increases - use both feet, looking up before passing, pass into space, heading were the main areas. - There is plenty adaptable from rugby for girls U14 to U18 soccer coaching ... be hard over the ball, leg drive in contact/contested possession situations (there is an awful lot of this in girls soccer), utilise raw pace, wings like space, the importance of getting the restarts right (corners, throw ins, and - most importantly of all - the place kick in after it goes dead, both in defence and attack), movement off the ball is key, be direct, attitude and teamwork in defence is the key. We did pretty well over the 3 years I coached, won a premiership one year, and more importantly, the girls stuck together, generally enjoyed it and had good times. Anyway the point of all this is that throughout I was struck by the lack of support from both the club and the football association/authority. Like both of you, I was dismayed that there wasn't better and more skilled coaching for the players after their parents had forked out plenty. Certainly reinforced my belief that junior sport is leached upon by the top level and club insiders. Its definitely a problem in rugby at the moment, and from what I hear many other sports.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Similar experience with soccer HP. I can't remember how much rego was for my eldest in under 9s, but not cheap. Pre-season they had intra-club trials where they hired external consultants. The consultants just walked around the field between the 3-4 games ticking a clipboard. Not one minute of coaching was provided to the kids. Apparently the sides were graded off the back of the consultants recommendations. Under 9s!!! And this is just a suburban clun, not a football academy or anything like that. Once the season started the higher grades got 'proper' coaches while the lower grades had (unqualified) mums and dads doing the coaching and managing. Game time was spread evenly among the team and it was a great bunch of kids and parents but my blood still boils at footing the bill for this complete waste of money. Similar threats were made by the club - work the BBQ or your kids won't play. Work the canteen or your kids won't play. Pack up the fields or your kids won't play. I understand completely that we all have to chip in but the email threat was always the first recourse.
BigJ
Roar Guru
though so I have never seen sport taken so widley serioulsy but run so corupt when i lived in Victoria, shokcing place for it, but it is getting worse all over the country. Except the NT where nobody cares.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
Yes, I'm in Victoria.
BigJ
Roar Guru
jes mate where do you live Victoria, thses sound like stoires form that area where everything has to be perfect and the coaches son's get everything. I remember when my best mate dad coached us in 1994 for footy. Although my mate was the captain he got no special tratment form his father he was treated like everybody else and got benched for two weeks when he fuc'ed up in school once, but your story just gets worse.
Nik Western
Guest
I read an article in the ClearingHouse for Sport (I think that's where it was) about how the grass-roots level of football is funding the higher tiers. Apparently clubs who run "elite" squads for juniors are allowed to charge up to $2000 registration fees - for kids!! Luckily my 3 boys play League, and our very successful country club charges $70 per player which includes socks and shorts. They also have a "boot bank" so that you can choose to recycle boots, if they make it to the end of the season (ours never do). On top of that our local Council (which I work for) offers a subsidy for rego fees for families on a pension or healthcare card. That was an idea I copied from Brimbank in Victoria, and seems to help out the kids its aimed at. I can then spend all my saved money on my cycling and triathlon hobbies!!
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
Thanks Stuart. We made the mistake of signing her up to the first team that we looked at. When our son decided to go for football we looked around at a few teams before settling on one that had decent coaches and cost a reasonable amount. One other sorry tale to report though: I mentioned that my son has shown himself to be a promising rugby player. Like many sports clubs his team finished the year with an awards ceremony. There were three awards given out: most improved player, best team player, and best player. I thought my son wouldn't be in with a chance of most improved as he started out well, but did think he could take home one of the other awards. As it turned out, the team manager's son took home the most improved award, and the other two went to the sons of the two coaches. To add insult to injury the lad who was awarded best team player only played about 2 or 3 games all season as matches clashed with his football team's, and many parents (those that were usually unable to go to training) had no clue who he was.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
That's awful Hardcore. I had my first year of football with my eldest this year and things went great, very different experience to the one you obviously had. I coach, netball, football and oztag teams and often use the line, 'they all pay the same registration fees.' It sounds corny yet it is so true. I was a bit stunned at the outlay for football. I hear that development squads are horrifically overpriced. It's sad to see kids driven away from sport, breaks my heart. Thanks for reading. Let's hope things get better.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Well said Junior Coach. I was hoping to hear stories like yours. I have another article in the works about one of NSW most promising young swimmers. Look out for it over the next month or so. $30,000 grand might be a bit steep for me. I felt I was far from the worst off in this scenario. This confirms it for me. Thanks for reading and hopefully we see one of your kids on the big stage one day. Have a great day.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Those were the days Bigj. I learned to play in my local park, in the street and in the backyard. All free. Parents had nothing to spare financially. Pretty much emulate what you saw on TV and wing it. These days it seems like layers of management across all levels of sport are sucking funds from associations and parents. Lots of talented kids being lost to different sports. A real shame. Thanks for reading.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
I really enjoyed reading your comments MJ. I was hoping people would share their own stories. I find it a really interesting topic and something I am researching and hopefully something that can be corrected in the future. I run a little yet prefer to ride. The cost of repairs, gear and apparel is crazy for cyclists, let alone the expensive machinery itself. Thanks for reading, hopefully we always find a few extra bucks to look after our own interests and keep ourselves fit and happy.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
I feel your pain: I've spent thousands on my two kids to participate in sports too, and while much of it is well worth it (my son is showing quite a talent for rugby) there are limits. My daughter wanted to play football a few years ago, in a team that some of her schoolmates had already signed up for. I paid the rather exorbitant registration (over $500), but of course still had to fork out for kit, club hoodie, boots & shinpads, even a parking permit! Then there was the expense of getting to away games, some of which were nearly an hour's drive away. And what did we get in return? Minimal coaching, run by another parent who cheerfully admitted that he hadn't had any specialised training; and my daughter, who tried but will admit herself that she's not a natural footballer, spending most of the matches on the bench. Now, I'm all for drilling the kids into a winning team, but when that means leaving out a third of the squad, all of whose parents paid that $500+ registration, it's quite soul-destroying. It was made worse when I'd see the opposition insisting on giving every kid the same amount of game time. How are kids meant to learn the sport when the club hierarchy demands results from 9 year olds?! Also, she was often made to train in an unsupervised group apart from the main core of players (i.e. the coach's daughter, her mates, and the handful of genuinely talented players). So, I'd regularly have to step in to assist with the coaching, otherwise nothing would get done. The kids would just run about and do their own thing. I didn't mind doing that, but again, I have no experience or qualifications so was quite unsuitable, and probably not what most parents had hoped for their $500 outlay. The final insult was that parents would be told (not asked, told, otherwise our kids were out of the team!) that they had to work the club's coffee stall during games, so we were often not even able to watch our kids play. Needless to say there was a mass exodus of players at the end of the season.
Junior Coach
Guest
You are getting off cheap- try having two kids slightly below the absolute "Elite" level in swimming- approx cost of swimming to our family last year was around $30000 - $500 per month squad fees, several pairs of $500 racing cossies, travel to Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra plus the 7 trips a week to squads plus gear plus race entry fees plus plus plus plus. Probably why swimming has problems hanging on to the talent past 15years of age.
Bigj
Guest
I remember when footy was a twenty dollar register fee and you brought and five dollar pair of shorts and a ten dollar pair of boots and a three dollar mouth guard with the mums taking to to wash the jerseys. Sport has been ruined by money and the fear that something will happen to our children has destroyed free play I pity to see what my grandchildren will do as things are only getting worse
MJ
Guest
Even for adults these days it isn't that cheap. I know for footy last year it was $180 to register (insurance included), plus $10 for socks. Forked out $70 for boots (discounted from $90), and every second year is a $20 mouthguard which I can't seem to fit properly without a packet of Juicy Fruit (and it has to be Juicy Fruit, Extra is too small and Hubba Bubba is too thick). Add to that $60 minimum to travel to 3 away games on a bus plus $20 on admission to away grounds (yes players up here pay to get into the ground) and it all adds up. Fortunately I was able to make some back through umpiring women's games (others can get some back if they play well enough). Thankfully it's better for adults up here than it is for kids down in Melbourne, where clubs can often charge $350 a season just to play Under 12's, and that's for one kid who may be just wanting to have a kick with his mates to make up the numbers for a 4th team in that age group for his/her club. Even running for me is probably as expensive as anything. Sure I'm not a member of a club or anything organised like that, but consider paying $200 a year on runners (2 pairs a year, others spend more. I often use older pairs as training shoes), about $100 on things like socks, visors, sunglasses and running shorts (always get a new visor prior to Gold Coast, routine dictates that. Often the race fees cover a singlet so generally I'm well stocked for tops). That's before any entry fees come into play. For something like the City2Surf, that's about $50 unless you raise something like $10K, for events like the Gold Coast Marathon it's closer to $150, for next year entering the Comrades Marathon in South Africa with associated extras such as timing chip and pre race tour of the course and museum cost me R3250 (that's about $A315). Then there's the travel costs (looking at over $2000 to get to Durban and back next year inclusive of the connection between Joburg and Durban but without some Australian domestic connections, doing runs in Perth can set me back close to $800 in return airfares) and accommodation (I stay at the University of Canberra when I do the Canberra Marathon in April, that's about $450 for 4 nights, and for runs such as the Gold Coast I have to book very early in the year), not to mention the cost of taking leave from work (not a problem for me, I have plenty in reserve, but I often am taking flights back hours after running just to get back to work to save leave hours and make a few extra quid in OT) and even chasing ambitions when pounding the pavement can get costly.