For many children, playing sports can be a great way to build life skills and help shape their future. However, many parents know how expensive these extracurricular activities can be; team fees, uniform costs, travel expenses and more can add up quickly.
According to the Aspen Institute’s 2025 Project Play survey, the average sports family in the U.S. spent $1,016 on their child’s primary sport in 2024, a 46 percent increase since 2019. The survey also showed that these costs varied by age; parents of children between six and 10 years old spent nearly $700 for their child’s primary sport. That figure nearly doubled to $1,346 for those with 15 to 18 year-olds.
As the cost of living continues to rise, it may be challenging to maintain your family’s budget while investing in your child’s future. Here are five tips to help you manage these costs, save smart and support your child’s interests while reducing financial stress.
1. Create a dedicated savings fund:
Setting up a dedicated savings account for extracurricular sports expenses can make a big difference. Many banks have online tools that make it easy to set up automatic transfers and track progress toward your goal. Even smaller deposits like $20 every other week can add up over time, and automatic transfers can make saving easy and consistent.
2. Estimate costs to build them into your budget:
Before signing up for different sports or new teams, take stock of what your child wants to do and what each activity will cost. Factor in registration fees, equipment (and replacements), uniforms, travel, food and extras like lessons or training camps. Once you have a rough annual estimate, divide that number by 12 and treat it like paying a monthly bill in your budget. Depending on how those costs fit into your budget, it might be wise to have your children only pursue one or two sports.
3. Shop smart by seeking out savings:
Look for gently used equipment or uniforms from local resale shops, community groups or other families. Don’t be afraid to ask about payment plans or scholarships, either. Every dollar you save upfront reduces the chance of needing to borrow funds or accumulate credit card debt later. You may also want to consider traveling together with other parents whose kids are on your child’s team or creating a carpool group to get your kids to practice.
4. Let your child be involved in the process:
Encourage your children to be involved and aware of how much participating in sports can cost. Older kids can help with individual and team fundraisers, take on small jobs, or contribute birthday or holiday gift money toward sports. This not only helps ease the financial burden of being on a team, but it can also help them learn valuable money management skills.
5. Adjust your plan as needed:
Your children’s interests or priorities may change as time passes, so review your extracurricular budget at least once a year to see if any adjustments are needed. Reviewing your budget can allow you to plan ahead for new activities and even redirect money to where it’s needed most.
Participating in team sports often helps enrich children’s lives, but costs for these activities remain high. Consistent budgeting and saving can help parents avoid having to sacrifice their kids’ interests in the name of their budget, and it can also help them avoid overextending their budget to pay for their children’s activities.
Ashley Riecke is a business banker for Arvest Bank – Springfield Region. She can be reached at ariecke@arvest.com.
