For many struggling households this season, deciding whether to enrol their future Ronaldo, Fyfe or Federer into junior sport won’t be a choice but a premium.
Local sporting clubs across WA have hiked up fees over the past decade because of increases in insurance costs, council rates and sporting equipment.
Lian Rees is a mother to twin nine-year-old boys and being originally from the UK, it’s no surprise the round-ball sport is a household favourite.
“They love their soccer; Hugo can name all of the players in Europe and we are massive Liverpool fans,” Mrs Rees said.
But this season the Mullaloo family opted to enrol their boys in Aussie rules instead with registration fees of about $230 per child, compared to over $500 for soccer.
It can get quite costly when you multiply that by two, including footy boots.
“We went to the soccer trials and they absolutely loved it but we had to say to the boys ‘unfortunately you’ve got to choose’,” she said.
“Every lunchtime at school they play soccer with their mates. And it’s really hard for the boys as most of their friends play for a club.
“What I do now is put money aside after every pay day ... I think that’s the only way you can do it.”
Long-serving Armadale Soccer Club member Eddie Garrido blames money factors for a drop-off in junior numbers in the past few years.
“The concern for parents is that it is too expensive,” he said. “Everyone asks what the fees are going towards at the club.
“I remember when NPL fees a decade ago were around $600 to $800, now they’ve more than doubled.”
It’s a tune Carly Pilton knows all too well, with two kids including a son who will kick off his under-15 National Premier League season this weekend.
“When Bailey started juniors at a local club level it was around $200 a season,” she said. “But as he progressed into NPL his fees are $1000 this season.
“He also plays futsal, which is $675 per year.
“It can be a bit of a struggle (financially) but we tend to prioritise the kids sports over other things to make it happen for them.
“I wouldn’t do it if he didn’t show any potential in that area. He wants to pursue it as a possible career path and we’ll try our best as parents to help him get there.”
Mrs Pilton’s 12-year-old daughter also trains and competes in gymnastics at a State level.
That’s $189 per fortnight in addition to leotard and competition fees of around $300 a year.
Her daughter is also trying netball for the first time this year at $290 per season.
But local sporting clubs too have their own financial woes.
Northern Beaches Cycling Club president Chris Howard said the biggest cost with junior bike racing had been venue hires, with clubs spending up to $3000 on site hire or traffic management plans for street racing.
Clubs earn these fees typically from race entry charges.
In 2017, the cycling club failed to field a junior squad due to spiralling costs and the lack of safe facilities available locally to train kids.
“We are now able to run affordable events and are currently rebuilding our youth squad from scratch,” Mr Howard said.
One of them includes 11-year-old Mia Davison, who said her interest in the sport grew after Splendid Park opened late last year.
Last Sunday Mia was crowned the under-13s women’s State criterium champion in Yanchep.
“I think cycling has been really good for me because it gets my worries away and I have a great time when I am on my bike,” she said.
Mum Tracy Davison said there was a lot to consider when it came to Mia after paying more than $300 for her seven-year-old son’s soccer registration fees for the upcoming season.
“I must admit, we haven’t put too much money into Mia’s cycling ... as to be honest, the races are quite cheap,” Mrs Davison said.
This includes an $85 fee for insurance, while race day at Splendid Park costs between $5 and $15.
Thanks to hard working volunteers and the brand new facility, the club is keeping costs affordable, including running training sessions for free.
Mia has also also been fortunate enough to acquire one of the club’s bikes on a loan basis so she didn’t have to buy her own set of wheels, which can mount into the thousands.
“We encourage kids to rock up on any bike they’ve got to start with and to make sure they are enjoying themselves,” Mr Howard said.
“And if they decide to get into the sport further down the track, we’ll then support the family in finding the right bike for them.”
Mr Howard said local sporting clubs were “acutely aware” of how tough households were doing financially, especially when trying to cover mortgage and grocery increases.
“The club committee decided that we couldn’t and shouldn’t rely upon member fees as a source of revenue,” he said.
“The old-fashioned meat raffle is our main source of revenue to help run events and subsidise junior sport.
“We offer 50 per cent discounts on race entries for families with two or more kids and free entry if parents are willing to volunteer some time helping at the registration desk or marshalling.”
Joondalup Lakers Basketball Club has had to change the way it has operated to keep costs down for families and to attract new members.
“We decided to proactively source other forms of revenue such as sponsorships from local business, private individuals, local government donations, chocolate fundraising and good old sausage sizzles,” a club spokesperson said.
“All funds raised by the club through fees and fundraising are put back into the juniors by way of up-to-date equipment, team singlets, trophies, coaching support and annual wind-ups.”
Fees this season add up to $319, with $214 going to the Wanneroo Basketball Association and $105 to the club itself.
Mr Garrido encouraged parents to approach sporting clubs to find out what the fees were and what the club could do for them financially.
“Every year we walk around parks when we are having a training session and we see kids kicking the ball next to us and we can see they’ve got some talents,” he said.
“If they can’t afford the fees or to buy anything, the club’s got boxes full of second-hand boots they can give to the kids or even if they want to go training, the club’s not going to say no to you having a run.”
Mrs Davison said with a huge focus on electronic devices and kids being inside these days, it was important hers went outside and played.
“I think everyone wants what’s best for their children and if they really put their heart and soul into something, you don’t mind plugging into that,” Mrs Davison said.
Over the past 12 months the State Government injected $3.4 million into KidSport vouchers that went to more than 23,600 kids to “reduce cost-of-living pressures for low-income families”.
The scheme encourages children aged five to 18 to take part in community sport and swimming lessons by offering up to $150 per year calendar year towards club fees.
Of a sample of WA sports, the uptake has been greatest in basketball, netball and soccer, while go-karting, squash and golf had significantly fewer voucher recipients.
When it came down to grants provided to community groups to develop basic infrastructure, soccer was again a winner with more than $3m allocated across 14 different grants, while hockey enjoyed just over half a million dollars.
There is $12.5m available for allocation in the 2022-23 funding round.
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Junior memberships a hefty price to pay for WA families as local clubs battle financial woes - The West Australian
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