Is the expense of playing hockey exaggerated?

[Amazinmets73]

Many cite the high cost and inaccessibility of hockey as a reason for low participation rates. The general consensus is the sport is cost prohibitive for families that aren't at minimum middle-class. I'm lower middle class, began playing hockey as an adult and haven't felt its unreasonably costly. Equipment certainly isn't cheap, but a patient and attentive shopper can find heavily discounted equipment; drop-in sessions are generally $10-$15USD. When I visit Canada they're generally less expensive.

Obviously I haven't experienced the game at youth level, so I'm ignorant to expenses incurred. Other than equipment and rink time, what makes make hockey cost-prohibitive in comparison to other popular N.A sports?

 

[Daximus]

Playing rec league hockey as an adult isn't really expensive in Canada. It's when you have a kid that is relatively good that is expensive. I know some parents that drop $5,000+ a season per kid.

 

[Amazinmets73]

What is the primary expense? I'm assuming coaching or travel teams?

 

[MessierII]

What is the primary expense? I'm assuming coaching or travel teams?

Equipment for growing kids. Your constantly buying new stuff.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

Once you hit adulthood and can buy equipment permanently, and play with no infrastructure besides beer league stuff it's easy. The problem is cycling through equipment and paying for development.

 

[alko]

It seems to be expensive. Especially by goalies. Heard many times, that here in Slovakia, parents must take a credit from bank (about 20 000 €) to support his kids.

 

[tarheelhockey]

If you do a $15 drop in once a week, that’s $780/yr to play pickup.

Pickup in any other sport is generally free.

 

[JCLA]

Imagine having a kid who plays travel hockey, there is an expense just for that. Then the revolving door of equipment to fit a kid who needs new everything every 1-2 years, as well as hotel, gas, flight (2+ people), car rentals, team gear, food (2+ people), having the skates sharpened and tournament fees just to name a few things.

then imagine doing that for weekends straight year after year.

If you want hockey to grow, it's got to start at the youth level and build them up as fans throughout their entire youth. and that's where the cost of playing is too high.

 

[Sojourn]

If you do a $15 drop in once a week, that’s $780/yr to play pickup.

Pickup in any other sport is generally free.

And that's not including stick time, or just getting on the ice to skate at all. Just getting started is going to be pretty expensive relative to a lot of other sports, because you can't be expected to just buy the gear and then get into a game. I mean, I guess you can, but you probably aren't going to have the best experience trying to play hockey for the first time with zero skating experience.

That being said, I don't think that's really what people are talking about when they are referencing the expense of hockey. It's definitely pricier than most sports, but not ridiculously so. I think, as others have said, it's more about youth hockey, which is significantly more expensive.

 

[Edmonton East]

...it's an absurdly expensive sport if you have kids playing. New equipment because they are growing and cost of said equipment. Cost of ice time. Travel associated with practice, games, and tournaments.

 

[LadyStanley]

Travel teams could easily require hundreds of $$ weekly for travel costs. (I've heard up to $30k/year for travel teams, and that doesn't even include equipment.)

I think the big thing with kids is the growing and having to get new equipment for larger child. Some places have (gently) used equipment available for trade/resale, but there isn't regular/known way to doing so.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

compare that to basketball where you just need 1 person out of 6-10 to have 1 $20 ball, no special surface needed and really dont need more space than a typical driveway

 

[Canadiens1958]

Many cite the high cost and inaccessibility of hockey as a reason for low participation rates. The general consensus is the sport is cost prohibitive for families that aren't at minimum middle-class. I'm lower middle class, began playing hockey as an adult and haven't felt its unreasonably costly. Equipment certainly isn't cheap, but a patient and attentive shopper can find heavily discounted equipment; drop-in sessions are generally $10-$15USD. When I visit Canada they're generally less expensive.

Obviously I haven't experienced the game at youth level, so I'm ignorant to expenses incurred. Other than equipment and rink time, what makes make hockey cost-prohibitive in comparison to other popular N.A sports?

Bolded nails it. Be it grocery shopping or hockey equipment, playing time or organization shopping most people do so very poorly. Deep discounts are always available. Knowing how to find them, when and where is the key. Then applying the savings elsewhere.

Same for youth hockey. Plenty of subsidies and alternatives available. Question of doing the research and applying the results.

 

[dechire]

It's probably not too expensive for kids if they casually play as a hobby. But those kids will never reach any sort of competitive level in hockey.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Discount shopping is only going to go just so far, though. An average family has 2-3 kids. Let’s say you really do your homework and manage to outfit each kid for $250 (unlikely but let’s just say). That’s still $500-750 worth of equipment on the low end. Then the aforementioned $750 a year per kid in ice time, if they’re only getting them one day of puck time a week. You’re in for $1500 before we even talk about league fees.

Most people flat-out don’t have that kind of money for children’s sports. It’s an easy “no” for a lower middle class family, especially once they realize they can buy a $10 soccer ball and let the kids play in the park for free until they drop.

 

[NSH615]

Bolded nails it. Be it grocery shopping or hockey equipment, playing time or organization shopping most people do so very poorly. Deep discounts are always available. Knowing how to find them, when and where is the key. Then applying the savings elsewhere.

Same for youth hockey. Plenty of subsidies and alternatives available. Question of doing the research and applying the results.

I'll give it to you on the equipment, but other expenditures not so much. Some areas of the US have very limited ice. Nashville for example which has grown substantially only has 5 sheets counting the arena where the Preds play. We briefly had 2 more, but that facility went under recently. Travel costs are another hefty expenditure.

 

[ottawah]

I had two girls in hockey, not at the highest level, but competitive. And yes the costs can be staggering.

800 Association fees. 2000 team fees. 3 away tournies, roughly 800 bucks each. Probably 500 a year for equipment. Add in 500 for off season hockey. Then start to calculate the mileage just to go to practices. 5 ice times a week, probably about 200 KMs easily. At government paid mileage rates thats 100 a week for 30 weeks thats 3K. Incidentals when doing away games (up to 2 hours) such as a meal for the kid and you.

So if you want to play mid tier competitive, 10K would not be an out of line price. Now of course kids do not have to play competitive and the prices probably go down to ~2500, but they will have so much other time on their hands they usually end up taking up other sports as they would do ~50 hours of ice time compared to 200+ for competitive. If your kid is an AAA class player, 15000 is probably an underestimation. But all kids want to shine and they may shy away knowing the price limits their advancement, not skill.

The big cost really is ice time. It varies all over but in Ottawa its 225 an hour I believe. Also you have the advantage of not outgrowing equipment like kids do ......

 

[Inkling]

The cost to play hockey is often overstated but it's also not false that hockey is an expensive sport to play compared to other sports.

I pay well under a thousand for my son to play every year (absolutely everything included), but that's house league. You have to frame the question around what it is exactly that you're asking. If it's simply the cost to play hockey for the fun of it, then it is not cheap but it's also not the multi-thousand dollar investment that you often hear people talk about. If you want to train the next generation of NHL players, then you're talking about competitive hockey and lots of out of town tournaments and extra training and then you're talking the big money that you hear about.

Hockey is well within the means of typical middle class families. Most minor hockey associations also have programs available to help families that have trouble paying the fees and equipment costs. I see plenty of families in hockey who are not super well off, but they've made it a priority and obviously sacrifice in other areas.

 

[Canadiens1958]

I'll give it to you on the equipment, but other expenditures not so much. Some areas of the US have very limited ice. Nashville for example which has grown substantially only has 5 sheets counting the arena where the Preds play. We briefly had 2 more, but that facility went under recently. Travel costs are another hefty expenditure.

Making progress.

Spent a bit of time in Atlanta and Nashville about 20 years ago. Nice to see that hockey is growing.

Also its been over 60 years since I started playing hockey. By todays standards, glorified pre-school daycare.

Two points.

Figuring out the relationships between the various government, private and community organizations, following the money trail has many benefits and advantages. Hint youngsters go to schools, private arenas(in Canada mainly public) in the USA contribute to and draw from the public tax purse, community organizations exist to facilitate and improve community life. Figure out the relationships in your area. Arenas and school facilities are under used.

Travel costs. Travel is no benefit to youngsters learning hockey into high school. More of a social activity for adults justified as spending quality time with the children. Hours spent on a bus, in a car could be better spent skating, playing locally, even improvised non-skating versions of hockey are more
beneficial.

 

[cutchemist42]

Ill say this......my parents combined made 6 figures and didnt feel comfortable paying for it so I didnt play. They are a little cheap tho.

As an adult, I put together my goalie gear for maybe $700 with only my Sportmask Mage bought new, on sale. I was patient with waiting out good used gear. As a goalie I play free but I still budget for beer buying and random replacement. Ive heard what the skaters pay for rec and it seems reasonable to me.

I look at what hockey costs during the teenage years and I cant figure out how there isnt a better way? I mean, the talent pool is just morphing into typical WASP sterotypes. I really wonder how necessary the travel tournies are??

 

[TheTotalPackage]

If you have your kids simply in house league, just playing for the fun of it, it's not that bad. It's when they play on rep teams that costs way more. Equipment, travel, hotels, gas, tournament fees, etc. It's ridiculous. Spread that over a couple of kids and it runs tens of thousands of dollars.

25 years ago I could buy all my equipment and pay my registration fee for roughly $500. Nowadays registration runs north of that amount alone. This is simply house league hockey I'm referencing to, but you want to play in a league on a Sunday night, you have to pay a handsome premium.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I played Little League baseball throughout my childhood for less than the cost of a single set of goaltending gear (which would need to be updated as I grew), so...no. It was absolutely out of reach for a family like mine.

 

[NSH615]

Arenas and school facilities are under used.

not in Nashville. Adult leagues don't usually start til close to mid night. High school aged games start between 9 and 10:30. Main arena has very few open days a week as it's either got a game or a concert.

 

[tony d]

Don't think so, you have the cost of travel as well. (Travel including gas, hotel room stays, eating at restaurants)

 

[Killion]

Ill say this......my parents combined made 6 figures and didnt feel comfortable paying for it so I didnt play. They are a little cheap tho.

As an adult, I put together my goalie gear for maybe $700 with only my Sportmask Mage bought new, on sale. I was patient with waiting out good used gear. As a goalie I play free but I still budget for beer buying and random replacement. Ive heard what the skaters pay for rec and it seems reasonable to me.

I look at what hockey costs during the teenage years and I cant figure out how there isnt a better way? I mean, the talent pool is just morphing into typical WASP sterotypes.

What decade did you grow up in (in Winnipeg?) cc?..... If were talking 70's or 80's (and beyond) then yes the costs did begin to escalate at about that time at the amateur levels.... though certainly there were programs & leagues available for those of all economic levels, usually integrated whereby on any given team you'd have low to upper income level kids, sometimes teams comprised exclusively of inner city children & so on (there were & still are territorial concerns, rules players have to adhere to, living in whatever area, Borough & so forth).... "Boys Clubs" & so on with teams entered in city wide rep leagues, Church Leagues, some cities in Canada with school leagues etc.... As for the cost of equipment, there were back in the day every fall "Equipment Exchange Sales" held at Churches, in schools & community centers & so on even in upper-middle class areas where you could buy skates-gloves-pads etc etc etc, kids growing out of, barely used & for next to nothing. By the late 60's early 70's however, the rise of "consumerism", brand status, hit the game of hockey like a Tsunami.