Team Insight

January 2018

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A s the new year begins and the concern over participation numbers in team sports continues, one of the hot buttons has been the cost of playing travel sports and the impact it has on the ability of many young athletes to afford to play. Love them or hate them, travel teams are increasingly popular in youth sports, but they come with quite a price tag. Equipment and apparel – the markets serviced by team deal- ers – are only the tip of the iceberg. The average cost to participate on a travel base- ball team is in the ballpark of $1900, not including the actual travel costs to attend tournaments. Parents can end up spending $10,000 annually for their child to participate at this level. Groundwork, which exists to help youth sports organizations track and collect their team fees, is particularly interested in the average cost for each sport. The company surveyed 16 popular travel sports in the U.S. to find the average season fees charged by teams. The results may surprise some. Volleyball leads the pack at an average of $3159, with gymnastics coming in a close second. But other sports, like rugby and football, can cost less than $500 per season. And this is just the cost of the season fees — what teams charge for a spot on the team. The true price tag that parents have to pay ends up quite a bit higher when expenses for travel, equipment and all the other smaller costs are factored in. There are some sports that are inherently more expensive even if the budget is as frugal as pos- sible. Ice hockey, for example, tends to be one of the most costly sports to play even if the team doesn't participate in many tournaments. Equipment also plays a major role in the overall cost to play some sports. Football, men's lacrosse and ice hockey all require a lot of protective equip- ment. Often, the helmet is the most expensive piece of a player's uniform. Hockey sticks and baseball bats can get pretty pricey as well. The bottom line is that team sports, especially at the travel and elite levels, can quickly become very expensive. It is an issue that has significant impact on team dealers and their vendors and it shows no sign of lessening. Q This article was provided by Bill Lennon, the co-founder and CEO of Groundwork – www.ground.work – a Los Angeles-based online payment solution for youth sports teams. Love them or hate them, travel teams are increasingly popular in youth sports, but they come with quite a price tag. teaminsightmag.com January 2018 / Team Insight 11 PERFORMANCE WARMUP HOODIES short sleeve #183 active shape side 3 colors sleeveless #182 diamond optic detail 3 colors pennant pennantsportswear.com NE NE st sty st st st st st sty ty ty eevel ee eeve vel ele le (shown with 1002 power tee) ess #18 ess #182 ess #1 #182 82 ic detail ic d ic ta ta detai ic de det etai ail tai ail il il rs rs colo ol co co o o ors col olo lor ors rs ess #18 ess 18 ess ss #1 #18 18 EW EW les le les PENNANT SPORTSWEAR (shown with 1201 stratos tee) The Cost of Team Sports Equipment and uniforms are just the tip of the iceberg for parents.

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