According to Frontiersthis is a finding of the Cost of Sport study commissioned by the Australian Sports Commission and conducted by researchers at Federation University based on a survey of about 5,500 sports participants across the country.
The authors considered spending on registration fees, equipment, uniforms, coaching services, travel, accommodation and lost income parents experienced due to their sporting commitments.
For adult participants, the average annual spending on sports was estimated at $2,894.
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A team of children on the football ground. Illustration photo by Pixabay |
Professor Rochelle Eime, the lead researcher on the study, explained that previous research had mainly focused on registration fees, while the new study covered the broader financial contribution families must make.
She noted that for individual sports, coaching services alone cost an average of $1,400. Parents also lose an average of $1,000 in income due to travel, while tournament accommodation costs reach $700, and travel expenses total $500.
Participation at the entry level is cheaper, averaging $1,161 per year for children and $1,200 for adults.
The researchers also found that individual sports are generally more expensive to pursue than team sports, and travel costs increase as participants progress to higher-level competitions.
The study also revealed that the total cost of children’s sports participation in regional and remote areas was similar to figures in major urban areas. Regional families put more budget on travel and accommodation, while city residents spent more on coaching services and registration fees.
The Harmsworth family from Rockhampton, Queensland, illustrates the financial burden placed on regional households. Raising three children who actively compete at the city, regional and state levels, the family has traveled to sports competitions ranging from Hobart all the way to Darwin this year.
The father, Aaron Harmsworth, also noted that sports trips often become family holidays, and using a caravan is one of the keys to saving money.
“You accrue leave and, all of a sudden, you’re using your leave on a sporting trip,” he told ABC News Australia.
Eime highlighted that many clubs and sports organizations are trying to reduce these financial pressures by reusing uniforms and equipment as well as supporting government voucher programs. For example, in Queensland, government vouchers can reduce the cost of participation by up to $200 per child.
“The value of community sport is so great for our children in terms of their youth development and social connectedness, a whole range of different life skills they get from playing sport,” Eime told ABC News Australia. “Sporting clubs are the networks that parents and kids rely on to help get through daily life, not just inside sport, but outside of sport as well.”