seaham gal

Another thread has got me going about the fact that you need to pay for all sports for kids in this area.

I wonder if the policies are across the country?

All I know is - there's no free soccer here. We've just paid $360 for our two grandkids to attend two soccer camps, one hour per week for seven weeks.

My husband, who is a soccer coach, wanted to get a casual team/ league going to accommodate those kids who love soccer but don't have the funds. No fields were available as they are all taken up by the official teams which cost each player $180 to join-if they are selected.

There are eighty teams here in North Coquitlam, not one for those unfortunate kids who would love to play. Don't know about other sports, but soccer is very much for the 'haves' and not for the 'have nots'. As soccer is one of the cheapest sports to compete in, goodness knows how parents with kids interested in ice hockey manage. A pity.

Almost Canadian

I don't know of any organised sports in Calgary that are free

snowshoveller

but you can offset $500 per child per year against income tax

iaink

I pay $75 per kid for soccer twice a week April to July. The local minor soccer association owns the pitches, which were bequeathed to them by a local benefactor, so that obviously helps as we are just paying for upkeep/ maintainence and soccer related expenses, plus that ubiquitous expense here...LIABILITY INSURANCE. Karate at school is $25 a month (one session a week).

Skating is considerable more, about $250 for the winter, about the same as junior golf membership here for the summer, although there is also a girls only golf thing for less. Hockey I expect is more still, but they thankfully dont have that urge. Skiing next winter I expect will be expensive now #1 offspring has had a taste.


Im pretty sure there were costs for organised team sports in the UK too....I used to pay about £10 match fee when I played league hockey there, in addition to annual subs, and that was years ago now...

One big advantage here...We can afford a big yard, so if kids want to play without having to find a park we have the space to accomodate them.

iaink

which in real terms is about $150-200 back... better than nothing anyway.

ann m

I'm paying $200 a month for the kids to go to five dance classes. When I break it down it works out at about $10 a class which is not bad, I don't think. They finish next month - hurray! The ability to pay monthly is being curtailed for the next season and the owner will require three (larger) post dated cheques.

Then add on five separate costumes for competitions and dance recitals, plus leotards, shorts, shoes, tights, etc and it's not a cheap hobby.

The year before, the girls did skating which needed another $750 over the course of a year (one daughter got moved up). But again, when I worked it out, the cost was barely $10 for an hour's tuition.

I think the need to pay out large cheques at the beginning of the season of any sport or activity is off-putting to some. Especially for some Brits who may have come from an after-school, virtually free sports club.

And it's not just the cost of the clubs, as I say - it's all the kit and extras - and I am constantly amazed at just how far parents will travel every week for matches or competitions. I'm driving up to Red Deer tomorrow so daughter number one can spend about eight minutes on a stage

There must be areas that offer better value sports programmes than others. There must be areas with reduced prices for those who qualify. There must be some free programmes too, but I can't say I've heard of any!! I know the kids soccer teams in my town are over-subscribed and cost a fair bit - and it's not that every kid gets the chance to have a kick-around, only the better players.

Having said that, there are a lot of summer camps on offer in this area, and some of those are outstanding value for the hours attended.

Many cite the 'better life for the kids' argument on their move to Canada. Be prepared to shell out a few dollars if they show any interest in anything Kids are not cheap at the best of times.

Mind you, a bike-ride, a walk or a blow-up rubber ring and a bit of seaside or lakeside are freebies that we like to indulge in too

Keep the receipts for next year's tax return

Edit: others have said much the same thing

seaham gal

It certainly adds up. Our grandkids are involved in judo, soccer, a private BMX club, dancing, swimming and skiing at Whistler. The 10 week skiing camp there was worth every penny though.

As I said, I feel for the kids who can't do these things. When I left the UK a lot of clubs who offered these activities had had their funds withdrawn and were closing. A look at the 'Secret Millionnaire' programme underlined this the other week.

There's such a need for organised activities for poorer children both here and back home.

iaink

Well there are chariatble organisations that try to help, and I know in our small community that rules will be bent where necessary to help. Isnt there a major Canadian Tire sponsored program to help out those who cant afford it themselves... and Im sure the Lions and other service organisations throw some money around in local communities to that effect too. The local service clubs really are the pillar of many canadian communities and do immense work behind the scenes that seldom gets the credit it deserves.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/jumpstart/

seaham gal

Great iank - I'll take a look. Have joined the Facebook page for Jumpstart and will take a look. Thanks.

wbexpat

NS is similar.
I think kids sports over here is too "professionalised".
Heres what I mean by that.

I pay nearly $200 for my lad to play footy for the summer. I know for a FACT that nearly half of that goes straight to Soccer NS, the rest is mostly referees and fields. Under 12s get proper kitted up refs AND two linesmen. Aside: the referees and linesmen tend to be officious and not very good to the point where they do more harm than good. These are 10 year olds we are talking about.

Much of SNS's revenue goes into its precious "elite teams" (didnt look very "elite" when I watched them play mind you but there you go). In turn SNS gives a bunch of money to Soccer Canada which they spend on their elites and so on (Canada cant buy a win by the way at the moment).

Amateur sport is big business in North America. There are certain people making serious money out of it. So coming from an amateur base in the UK where lots of us gave our free time and had facilities like halls and fields "donated" it comes as a bit of a culture shock.

As a result we have nice middle class kids in their nice Adidas kit getting dropped off by their nice middle class parents in their nice middle class SUVs and playing nice middle class games of footy. But to be frank some of them are only there because they can afford to be. That's not "elite". That's "elitist".

And its a good reason why the minute they get on a field against rough-arsed kids from Liverpool or somewhere they get tonked. If Canada really wants to have a decent national team I think it needs to be casting its net wider.

OK rant over.

leepee

In Calgary my oldest son does a ton of stuff that we pay for....However, the local communities organise soccer for which we pay $50cdn. He starts tonight and it is once a week for an hour until June 25th. This past winter he played Grassroots Hockey - which I would recommend to everyone who just wants their kids to learn hockey basics with no crazy pressure!! For 12 wks of hockey - 1 hour a week we also paid $50cdn.

In both cases the $50 included their team shirt and - with soccer, the shorts and socks....

I'm pretty happy with that!!!
Lisa

iaink

In defence of the canadian soccer its not exactly like the UK where there is a HUGELY popular cash cow league generating bucketloads of cash, some of which trickles back down to the grass roots through the FA, plus all the professional leagues havign scouts and youth setups too.

Soccer in canada reminds me of most amateur sports in the UK, where money goes from the clubs to the governing bodies who try to then fund the elite athelites who are the flagship of the sport and bring in what little sponsorship money is going around for minor sports.

Maybe over time with more MLS teams in Canada that will change...but Im not holding my breath as pro sports here work in tandem with the hugely popular college sport scene, where soccer is not really a factor.

MB-Realtor

Remember that soccers just a kids sport here, like Rounders. The National Sport is (Ice)-Hockey thats your real comparison.

Almost Canadian

True, but the City of Calgary is great at organizing sports that don't last long enough (i.e, I think the "session" must be for a minimum of 8 weeks, and all of the City's swimming lessons only last 7 weeks. The kids are permanently enrolled - they go from one session to the next, but no individual session qualifies).

I do find, though, that the organization is very good and the instructors (be they paid or volunteer) are really good and getting the kids to enjoy themselves and keeping them wanting to keep going back. As with most things in Canada, having fun and doing one's best and not necessarily "winning" is what counts. I am fine with that

triumphguy

What's wrong with kicking a tennis ball down a ginnel with a bunch of other snotty nosed urchins in grey sweaters and knee socks?

Why is Brazil good at football? 'Cos it's got lots of organized teams?
Why do some of the best football players come from the poorest neighbourhoods?

I agree with some of the posts above that we've over organized sports for our kids, and not only sports but their whole lives.

With organized sports they learn to play one style of footie, but they never develop the individual skllls of the kids in Brazil, or Britain 50 years ago, nor do they play an honest team game uninterrupted by adults.