Bonesyhead

In the process of deciding where to reside in Canada. I can't help but want the kids to play sports I know. Where are the most likely places to get involved in the likes of football (soccer), rugby and cricket (yeah I know, but I love it). I have read in many posts that the ice hockey, skiing etc can be very expensive to be involved with at all ages.

Craig1987

I don't think Ice hockey is that expensive to get involved in in canada. You'll have to buy some fairly pricey equipment i suppose. But in actual terms of weekly expense, I don't think it is that bad.

I know you're worried about cost, but there is always something like Go karting. When I was in Canada, I met a man whose grand children take part in Go karting championships at mosport. His youngest grandson dreams of being the F1 world champion. If any of your children are into racing, please try hard to give them that chance.

I always wanted that when I was a kid, but the opportunity wasn't available to me. My dad couldn't see past football. It's good that you're trying to encourage your kids into sport, but make sure it's the one they want. If they're young and adapt well to Canada, it's most likely going to be Hockey they want anyway.

Bonesyhead

Oh don't worry, they always get what they want after the screaming spin around on the ground in the supermarket. I guess I can grow to love any sport, just have to buy a playstation game of it to learn the rules.

Craig1987

In that case, I recommend a hockey game. I don't know whether or not you have the bug. I was a young boy when the "mighty ducks" film came out, so I caught the bug early. I even joined a roller hockey club when I was 10. Everyone else was a bit older.

When I went to Canada, I think people were surprised how much I loved Hockey. A lot of visitors to Canada either feign interest to it to fit in, or get into it when they arrive.

On my first day, I stayed in a hostel in Toronto and talked hockey with the manager. I think he was a little surprised. Buy yourself a hockey game for the playstation and you'll probably find yourself hooked before you even set foot in the country.

Londonuck

I was supposed to play for two different cricket teams in Vancouver. One was Pakistani and the other was Indian. Almost caused fresh tensions in the Punjab.

Atlantic Xpat

Soccer is pretty big for kids in Canada, at least in this part of the world. Rugby is also available depending upon where you are. My Brothers-in-Law have played both competitively in local leagues.

TheThornes

Certainly in the town where we live, soccer and rugby are pretty big with the kids although I can't say I've heard or come across cricket being played around here. We're only an hour away from our nearest ski resort too so one of my kids has got into that now too.

gillyd65

Friend of ours pays $7000 per year for his kid to play ice hockey. You'll probably find sports over here cost much more than UK, swimming for our two is $5000 per year and that doesn't include swim comps, travel etc. as opposed to 500 pounds in the UK. Also most schools charge for your kids to be in their teams whereas in the UK it was free to represent the school at rugby, cricket, netball, swimming etc....Do your research before you come.

Craig1987

Well I was just talking about my own experiences in Canada. And my friend's experiences too. I'm 24 and have no kids, so I'm maybe not the best person to be commenting on these kinds of things. I'm not so sure that everyone will have to pay that much for Hockey.

One of my friends is Canadian and was brought up in Orphanages. He played hockey right up until he was 16 and damaged his knee to the point that it required 5 operations. I'm guessing he was playing hockey due to someone else's charitable spirits though if it is that expensive. He's from Vancouver if that makes any difference.

MarylandNed

You'll find youth soccer clubs in and around every major city - e.g. Toronto, Vancouver, and Ottawa. The outdoor season is during the summer due to winter weather. However, it can be played year round where there are indoor facilities (again, more likely in and around the major cities).

Hockey is more expensive partly due to the equipment but getting ice time for practices and games is also a factor.

ann m

I agree. Soccer is a (really) short season and you will be paying hundreds of dollars to join the team, plus buying the kit, and if taking it even a little bit seriously, will involve many hours of your time, many tanks of petrol and hotel overnight costs to other cities three hours away for competitions. Same for volleyball, or almost any sport to be honest. I'm talking Alberta here. Though we live just outside Calgary, friends haul their kids and kit to Lethbridge and Edmonton on a regular basis (both 3 hours away).

My two girls dance. I spend thousands a year.

Their friends play soccer, hockey, ringette, lacrosse, swim teams, also dancing, gymnastics, figure skating, volleyball, basketball, ski-ing, rugby and (american) football. Be prepared to budget. Not saying it can't be done, but it might come as a bit of surprise compared to free after-school type clubs in the UK.

Chuck in the flute or clarinet lessons and ......

Having said all that, I do not think we could afford an equivalent dance schedule in the UK. When it all boils down to it, it's about $10 a dance class.

iaink

There is cricket in Toronto and Ottawa for sure, and Vancouver too, maybe elswhere where there is a large south asian population, but there would be a lot of travel involved at a competitive level.

Rugby is a bit more common.

Soccer is probably the only one that need not necessarily be expensive.


But if you end up in a cold bit of canada then you may as well bite the bullet and subscribe to skating and or skiing, its a long winter and you have to embrace it to have a chance of staying sane. I did some adult skate lessons when I first arrived, and I took up skiing later on, when I was 38, in part because my kids had.

Hockey though as a family we steer clear off, its just too much time and money. Ice time, equipment, tournaments, travel, its an expensive treadmill. Its ironic really because (field) hockey was a sport I was heavily involved with, before moving to Canada.

Oakvillian

This is definitely a case of YMMV; it entirely depends on how your local clubs are set up. For my eldest two, who play recreational rather than rep soccer, the costs are minimal (couple hundred bucks for the season, inclusive of kit; since they play in a house league, there are no travel costs for away games). For those of our neighbours whose kids are in representative teams, sure, there's a little more cost involved, but (I suppose because the Ontario Soccer Association has a denser population of teams to schedule) there's very rarely more than an hour or so's travel to away games until the final stages of provincial competitions. All-season indoor leagues are heavily subscribed both for kids and adults.

There's a thriving local rugby club - I don't get there as often as I'd like but I know that the clubhouse bar was open early in the mornings during the world cup, and they were full to overflowing for most games. They have a strong kids' programme, both in a house league and in the Southern Ontario inter-club system. Again, one of the advantages of rugby is that the players don't wear huge expensive suits of body armour, so kit isn't too expensive. The season's quite short, though.

Hockey is a different situation altogether. The kit is relatively expensive, but the real killer (at least around here) is time: there's huge pressure on ice time for practice and for competition. A friend who has four boys all in hockey programmes is regularly in and out of the arena from 5am to 11pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and one or other of the kids has an early morning or a late night almost every weekday.

As to other stuff, there are more activities - in team sports, individual sports, the arts, etc etc - than you could possibly schedule. We try hard not to over-schedule the kids' lives, but it can be tempting to try a whole load of things just because they're there. For us, swimming lessons were a non-negotiable requirement for the kids - one loves it, another goes grudgingly. Music & gymnastics seem to be the flavours of the month at the moment; I'm sure that will change when the outdoor soccer season kicks off in May.

gillyd65

We're in Ontario so can't speak for Vancouver. It was a huge shock for us the price of kids activities out here. As I said before check out before you come as it makes a severe dent in your budget. Perhaps just sticking to one activity is the way to go, depends on how big your budget is. The UK seems a lot more inclusive for sports and activities as you don't need much money for them to do stuff. Our two used to do loads in the UK, music, sports, dance but can't afford it here.

iaink

We limit our kids to piano and swiming year round, soccer or golf in the summer (usually golf, who wants to run around in 30°+ humidex Ontario summer!), and they alternate years for skating or skiing in the winter.

Last year they skied, this year they are skating, although the occasional public skate session or evening ski trip happens in the off years of course.

That way there is still time to do homework and they get a decent nights rest on school nights.

But we know kids on "the treadmill" of stuff virtually every night. Its not for us.