Youth sports is a financial strain on 59% of families

More than a third (38%) of parents with kids younger than 18 plan for at least one child to play a youth sport this fall. Expenses for this — similar to sports spending in general — can rise quickly.

Half of parents (50%) plan to spend $100 to $499 on their children’s fall sports expenses, followed by:

• $500 to $999 (22%)
• $1,000 to $1,999 (14%)
• Less than $100 (10%)
• $2,000 or more (5%)

With inflation increasing the cost of almost everything, nearly 6 in 10 parents (59%) say youth sports cause financial strain for their family. That breaks down to 48% who say they’ll make it work and 11% who’ll likely take on debt.

To reduce the costs associated with team sports, 34% of parents with a child on a sports team plan to participate in fundraisers. Other cost-reduction strategies include scholarships (18%), volunteering (11%) and having the child work to help chip in for costs (11%).

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