Just signed my 9yo up for spring league and it's $320 for 10 games. That doesn't include the cleats he'll grow out of in 3 months, the new shin guards, or the inevitable "I don't want to play anymore" conversation in week 3. I remember paying like $80 for this stuff when I was a kid. Is this normal now or am I just getting old and cranky?
lol the "I don't want to play anymore" part hits different when you've already paid. My 8yo decided soccer wasn't cool midway through spring league. Lesson learned: we do a trial week now before committing to full season.
Same boat with my 10yo. I'm starting to think youth sports is just a tax on parents at this point. Between soccer, basketball, and baseball we're looking at like $1500 a year for all three kids
Yeah $320 is brutal. And you're spot on about the cleats - my kid went through 2 pairs in one season. What really got me was realizing he only actually played in like 6 of those 10 games because of weather cancellations.
wait did you say he'll grow out of cleats in 3 months? That's wild. My kid's been in the same size 4s for like 8 months now thank god
Have you looked into recreational leagues vs competitive? Our city rec league is like $150 and honestly the kids have more fun because there's less pressure. Competitive is the money pit.
The "I don't want to play anymore" part kills me because you already paid for the whole season. My daughter did this in week 3 last year. Now I make them commit to at least one full season before we sign up again
Have you looked into rec league instead of competitive? Our city's rec soccer is like $89 for the same number of games and it's way less intense. Kid actually has fun instead of worrying about performance
Yep, $320 for 10 games is insane. And you're right about the cleats - my 8yo went up a full size in like 4 months. I started buying cheaper ones from Target instead of the fancy Nike stuff and honestly he can't tell the difference
lol the shin guards thing is so real. They outgrow them before they even get scuffed up. I've started asking other parents if they have hand-me-down gear instead of buying new every season
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The equipment spiral is real. Pro tip: hit up Play It Again Sports or Facebook marketplace for used cleats and gear. Saved hundreds this year doing that.