Rising expenses in club and travel teams are transforming childhood sports from seasonal activities into costly, near full-time commitments, raising concerns among parents and industry critics about affordability and the true value of youth sport.
Across the United States, parents are increasingly pushing back against the rising cost and escalating intensity of youth sport, especially club and travel teams that can run to $10,000 a year for a single child. What was once a seasonal activity for many families has, in some places, become a near full-time, high-cost commitment that can dominate weekends, budgets and household routines.
Caitlin Murray, a former varsity lacrosse player at Middlebury College and mother of three, told the New York Post she has been stunned by the scale of the shift. She said children now often have to move into club sport by the time they reach elementary school, with teams travelling to tournaments several weekends a month and seasons stretching for six months or more. Murray said the expense is not limited to registration, adding travel and hotel bills to the burden, while the time demands mean she and her husband often split duties so one can attend each child’s games.
Other athletes-turned-parents are voicing similar concerns. Kerri Walsh Jennings, the three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medallist, told The Post that modern youth sport has lost the sense of balance it once had, arguing that children benefit from trying more than one sport, working with different coaches and teammates and having proper time away from competition. Landon Donovan, the former United States men’s national team captain, has also questioned whether the club model narrows the talent pool by shutting out children whose families cannot afford the costs.
The financial strain is adding up quickly for families already making sacrifices. Megan Sherr, a mother in Newberry, Massachusetts, told The Post that her family spends five figures a year on youth sport, with four children in club hockey and two also playing club lacrosse. She described additional expenses such as private coaching, equipment and travel. In Phoenix, Courtney Altamirano said her 13-year-old daughter’s club volleyball programme costs $10,000 a year, not counting tournament admission charges for family members, which she said can range from $20 to $50 per person.
The pressure is not only anecdotal. The Journal of Sport and Social Issues has found that children born in the 1990s were three times more likely to play travel or private club sport than those born in the 1950s. Separate reporting by KPBS in San Diego, The Washington Post and Kiplinger has shown how fees, uniforms, coaching and travel continue to push prices higher, while AP has reported that nearly half of surveyed parents struggle to afford the cost of participation. For many families, the result is a painful trade-off between giving children sporting opportunities and preserving time, money and, increasingly, the idea that childhood should still leave room for play.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
