Love them or hate them, travel teams are increasingly popular in youth sports, and they come with quite a price tag. The average cost to participate on a travel baseball team is in the ballpark of $1,900, not including the actual travel costs for players and parents to attend tournaments. Parents can end up spending $10,000 annually for their child to participate at this level. It stretches many families thin and is out of reach for others.

At Groundwork, we help youth sports organizations track and collect their team fees so, we’re particularly interested in the average cost for each sport. To answer this, we surveyed 16 popular travel sports in the U.S. to find the average season fees charged by teams.

The Results

Average season fees per player to participate on a team by sport.

This graph shows the average cost to play for a travel team in each sport:

Volleyball leads the pack at an average of $3,159 with gymnastics coming in a close second. But other sports, like rugby and football, can cost less than $500 per season. Wow. That’s a pretty big range.

And this is just the cost of the season fees — what teams charge their participants for a spot on the team. The true price tag that parents have to pay can end up being quite a bit higher than the numbers on the graph when you factor in expenses for travel, equipment, and all the other smaller costs that add up.

The second thing to keep in mind is that these numbers are averages. There are teams with significantly lower and higher costs within each sport depending on how many tournaments they participate in, what type of equipment they need, and a bunch of other factors.

However, there are some sports that are inherently more expensive even if the budget is as frugal as possible. 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.

Why are travel teams so expensive?

Travel teams represent the highest level of ambition in youth sports. To find the desired level of competition and attract the attention of college recruiters, teams travel regionally and nationally to attend tournaments and showcases. Travel sports can be a feeder into high school varsity teams and a pathway to college scholarships. This competitive dynamic combined with parents’ willingness to do anything to help their child succeed has driven up spending.

Not to mention the cost of travel itself. Transportation and lodging for a whole team is extremely expensive, even with group rates and discounts. Plus, the team has to eat while they’re on the road, so food factors in as well.

Why are some sports so much more expensive than others?

There are a few reasons. For some sports, one of the highest costs is the facility where the team practices. For an ice hockey team, renting an ice rink is very expensive. Plus, not many areas have more than one or two rinks, which means all the teams have to compete for practice time — which drives the price up even higher.

Equipment also plays a major role in the overall cost to play some sports. Football, lacrosse, and ice hockey all require a lot of protective equipment in order to prevent injuries. Often, the helmet is the most expensive piece of a player’s uniform. Hockey sticks and baseball bats can get pretty pricey as well.

Another reason for the difference in fees is team culture. Some sports pay their coaches more, and others pay a lot for high quality uniforms. Some teams have a player’s parent coaching rather than paying a coach, which decreases their costs significantly. Some only participate in a few tournaments each season, while others go to many more, which drives up travel costs.

Some sports, like volleyball, can include some or all of the travel costs in their team fees. So when you sign up for the team, you’re also paying for lodging and transportation, which you would otherwise pay for on your own in addition to team fees. That can make it look like those sports are more expensive than they really are in comparison to others.

Costs can also vary dramatically for different teams playing the same sport. For example, some teams or organizations may be running as non-profits and work hard to keep their costs as low as possible. They may also rely on donations to offset some of the costs. Others might be organized as a for-profit enterprise. But the one factor that influences the price to play within the same sport is travel.

How do parents afford this?

If you’re wondering whether teams profit from all these fees, the answer is usually not. Most teams are barely able to scrape by even with the fees collected from parents. When paying for coaches and travel, costs add up quickly, and there’s rarely any money left over. As a matter of fact, when a team doesn’t budget properly, sometimes coaches and organizers end up paying extra out of their own pockets just to keep the team running.

When team fees exceed a few hundred dollars, most parents need or prefer to pay in installments to spread the costs throughout the season. Most teams offer payment plans as their primary option and some offer a discount for paying everything up front at the beginning of the season.

Parents can sometimes offset some of the costs of travel teams by volunteering for the organization. Talk to your child’s coach and find out if there’s anything the team needs help with and if they would be willing to offer a discount in exchange for your time.

Some teams offer scholarships for kids who want to participate but can’t afford to pay the team fees. If your child’s team does not have any scholarships available, try searching for scholarships and grants for youth sports in your area. Some organizations, such as i9 Sports Association, offer need-based assistance to help young athletes afford team fees.

Parents, what are your experiences with travel team fees?

Which sport has your child participated in that had the most expensive team fees? Do you have any creative solutions for making team fees more affordable? We’d love to your experiences!