The Cost of Youth, Prep Sports: What Do You Think?

Patch.com is looking into and researching the participation fees for various youth and prep sports programs.

Recreation. Travel. Private lessons. Summer camps. Year-round practices.

Youth sports have transformed into a considerable business for independent clubs and coaches. Yet, many sports programs are just trying to break even and cover costs through their fees.

But the costs for renting indoor practice facilities, acquiring equipment, purchasing uniforms and matching warm-up suits, paying for overnight travel expenses can almost equal the cost of a year's worth of college tuition — or at least the book fees.   

While most parents and athletes expect to pay more for private club athletics, the costs for school-sponsored sports has also increased over the past several years as school districts were forced to raise athletic participation fees due to economic constraints.

How costly have youth sports become? Have the fees combined with the economic downturn forced some parents to remove their children from the programs all together? How much do you pay, has it increased over the years and what do you think about that?  

You can share your insights and thoughts by commenting below or e-mailing Patch.com writer Stephanie Price at sprice20302comcast.net. If you know of more affordable sports programs offered in the community, please let us know as well!