Australia estimates annual family spending on children’s sports at $4,567
In Australia, the average annual cost of a child’s participation in grassroots sports is $4,567, according to the Cost of Sport study commissioned by the Australian Sports Commission. As ABC News Australia reports, the study was conducted by researchers from Federation University based on a survey of approximately 5,500 sports participants across the country.
The authors considered not only registration fees but also spending on equipment, uniforms, coaching services, travel, accommodation and parents’ lost income due to sporting commitments. Average annual spending by adults on sports participation was estimated at $2,894.
Costs depend on the level of participation
Study leader Rochelle Eime said previous research had mainly focused on registration fees, while the new study covered families’ broader financial contribution. According to her, coaching services in an individual sport cost an average of $1,400, parents’ lost income due to travel amounts to $1,000, accommodation during tournaments costs $700, and travel expenses total $500.
Participation at the entry level is considerably cheaper, averaging $1,161 per year for children and $1,200 for adults. The researchers also found that individual sports are generally more expensive than team sports, while travel costs increase as participants move to higher-level competitions.
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Family expenses in regional areas
The total cost of children’s sports participation in regional and remote areas was similar to figures in major urban areas. At the same time, regional families spent more on travel and accommodation, while city residents spent more on coaching services and registration fees.
The Harmsworth family from Rockhampton, who are raising three children competing at city, regional and state levels, travelled this year to sports competitions from Hobart to Darwin. Family father Aaron Harmsworth said sports trips often become family holidays, and a caravan is one of the main ways to save money.
Eime also said that clubs and sports organisations reuse uniforms and equipment and support government voucher programmes. In Queensland, such vouchers can reduce the cost of sports participation by up to $200 per child.
