For 17-year old Derek Lehmann, playing soccer has always been a passion and ever since he joined club soccer several years ago, he has taken his talents to a new level by playing tougher competition.
After first playing recreational soccer in fourth grade, he started club soccer even though that cost more money. His mom Roberta was willing to make the investment even if that meant sacrificing family vacations or new furniture for their house.
Although it costs close to $3,000 in total expenses to play in club soccer, getting the chance to play the game he loves was more important for Derek and his family.
“It was him asking to play,” Roberta said. “It wasn’t something that we wanted. It was 100% him. He took initiative for it, so it is his goal and his team. We pay the bills, but he put in the work for it.”
Other families in Eudora and beyond say they can relate.
In 2020, three out of four kids nationwide were involved in some kind of sport, and the growing costs to play have become a national discussion.
The average youth sports parent nationwide spent $883 on one child’s primary sport per season this past year, according to a survey by Project Play and Utah State.
A 2019 research study found the $19.2 billion U.S. youth sports industry is bigger than the $15 billion NFL market and is expected to rise to nearly $80 billion worldwide by 2026.
Yet a 2022 LendingTree study found six out of 10 parents with kids in fall sports felt a financial strain as a result.
The Eudora Times looked into the cost of youth sports locally, interviewing parents and coaches as to whether they believe the cost of these programs is worth it for their families.
The impact of rec and club sports
Eudora youth sports are one of various opportunities for kids to get involved in the community at an early age, and the programs range in competition level whether it’s the recreational league or higher-level club sports.
Recreational sports in Eudora are now back to the same demand as pre-COVID-19, and costs have remained the same. That is an area Parks and Rec Assistant Director Jimmy Kegin takes honor in when marketing his offerings to parents.
“Out of all the communities that we play with, we have been the lowest price forever,” Kegin said. “I always pride myself in being the lowest cost. My whole philosophy on this is we are not here to make money, but we are here to provide a service.”
Prices for these recreational sports range from $25 to $45, said Parks and Recreation Director Sally Pennington. That price includes everything, including uniforms, team fees and other expenses.
Soccer, flag football, basketball and volleyball are the primary sports, with approximately 1,000 kids involved with Eudora recreational offerings per year.
Kids can start recreational play before kindergarten and can play all the way through middle school at 13 years old, something Pennington enjoys seeing as different generations of children enjoy what recreational sports offer.
“I never want to see recreational sports go away,” Pennington said. “It might be the one time kids are involved with a team. It’s a great opportunity for kids to meet friends they may not have met otherwise. It’s supposed to be fun and that’s what we are all about.”
On the other hand, higher-level club sports increase in price based on several factors, including tournaments and facility rental, which concern coaches and parents as they aim to find the best value for the best price for their family.
Brandon Robson is a head coach for a 13 and under semi-competitive baseball team, an assistant coach of the Farm Wrestling Club, assistant coach for the sixth grade football team and a head coach for an 8 and under softball team.
Robson is also a vice president on the board for the Eudora Youth Football and Cheerleading Association. Robson said he loves being involved and offering opportunities for kids to get invested in something.
“You’re kinda helping mold the next generation, and that for me is a big thing,” Robson said.
It’s not about winning every tournament but helping kids learn, grow and be involved, he said.
“It helps them, for one, build character. Team sports builds a lot of character,” Robson said. “It helps mold a kid. It helps bring out who they’re gonna be. Sportsmanship’s a huge thing. Can you get knocked down and get back up, you know, and be a better athlete for it?”
He’s seen the difference these opportunities have had in molding his own son, not only on the field but also in the classroom from the resilience lessons he’s learned.
He understands how much club sports can be compared to the recreational side. Robson said club baseball is the most expensive. He has one child who plays football and two children who cheer, which adds up to $700-$800, he said.
The Eudora Youth Football and Cheerleading Association understands there are parents who can’t afford those prices, which is why it has created a program of sponsoring kids and does a significant amount of fundraising to offset costs, Robson said.
By having the kids involved in the fundraising, it also helps them understand needing to work for opportunities and how to support others, he said.
Robson said he does everything he can to keep the sports affordable for kids.
“I’m not out there trying to make money off you,” he said. “I will make it affordable … just so kids and parents don’t have to stress, have the stress of it’s too much money.”
Mallorie Cleveland, who runs her own volleyball club, feels she charges fair prices compared to other towns in the area for their programs.
“Watching numbers grow, I have been very fortunate to be able to keep the costs the same by simply doing a fundraiser for the kids and all of that money goes back to their fees,” Cleveland said. “Fortunately, my cost for the club has been the same for the last five to six years, which has been great and we haven’t increased it in a long time.”
Head of youth football Danny Lewis also said he’s aware of costs for families and has aimed to keep prices stable since he started running the program a handful of years ago. However, he also said prices could increase sooner rather than later.
“I have been involved with it seven years, and we have not raised our prices once,” Lewis said. “We are starting to see that we are losing money because things that we can’t control are becoming more expensive.”
This includes equipment, insurance, certification of equipment, as well the leagues changing more over time.
The cost of opportunity
There is a concern for small towns if the cost of youth sports continues to increase, said Jordan Bass, chair of the Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences Department at the University of Kansas.
“If there’s only a select few people that can afford to play throughout, you’re just going to have this select group of people that are going to play certain sports,” Bass said. “You’re not going to have this community representation that I think is such a great thing. It’s hard when only a select group can afford to play.”
Previously, there was more flexibility about what options families had when deciding about youth sports, whether that be competitive club sports or non-competitive recreation sports.
However, that idea has changed not just locally, but also across the board as Bass states how tight the competition has become when deciding what option suits best for families.
“I think before there used to be like a public and a private option,” Bass adds. “You have basically one choice if you want to keep playing and have good training and resources that are available. It becomes really difficult.”
Bass, who has also worked as a youth sports coach and former middle school athletics director, authored the book, “The Youth Sports Handbook: A Kid’s Guide to Being the Ultimate Leader, Competitor, and Teammate.”
The book is designed for youths in grade school through high school to prepare for an upcoming season, to give youth sport coaches ideas on how they can communicate certain concepts with their players or for parents to read to their youth sport-participating children.
The lessons can be helpful in a time when youth sports have become increasingly structured, commercialized and competitive. In such an environment, young people can become frustrated or dejected if they make mistakes or become intimidated by competition, Bass said in a KU news release.
“There’s just a lot of confusion,” Bass said. “The parents want to do what is best for their child.”
Parents weigh benefits, costs
From a parent’s perspective, the cost of youth sports can sometimes feel overwhelming as they try to determine how much money they want to sacrifice.
Parent Robin Starling is frustrated with how high costs have gotten, saying this has been a theme dating back to when her kids first participated in these programs years ago.
“This is a recreational town and recreational league,” Starling said. “It should not cost that much. What is the purpose of our city taxes if we’re not supporting these kids? This is giving them something to do.”
Despite the costs that parents deal with in order for their kids to be involved in youth sports, having the ability to have fun with friends is important to the youth involved.
Athlete Braydee Miller, 12, has been in Eudora youth sports the last several years and is currently in seventh grade. She enjoys competing with her friends and feels it is well worth her time to participate in several youth sports, such as soccer and volleyball.
“I love just playing with my friends,” she said. “We won that way because we were having fun. I love being competitive also and so I like going into clubs, but I still like having fun.”
Her mom Maggie enjoys her daughter’s enthusiasm playing youth sports and knows her money is well spent anytime her daughter competes and practices.
“There’s so many opportunities: there’s soccer, there’s basketball, there’s baseball programs, there’s all kinds of things here,” she said. “That’s why we kept our family here in this community. It was because of the cost and because of the opportunities. You want your kids to play with their friends.”
As for Derek Lehmann, club soccer is where he takes his talents to the next level. He said he’s enjoyed getting to play with the best talent across eastern Kansas.
He also understands the sacrifice his family makes for him to play club soccer at Kansas City Scott Gallagher SC, but balances with the excitement he gets from playing at an elite level.
“It feels good because I love to play soccer every day,” he said. “You get to play at a different level. The players come from a lot more experience, and I think I’ve gotten a lot better.”
Jolene Cullen, whose daughter Lexi has played club volleyball and softball in the area since she was 10, has enjoyed seeing her daughter compete at a high level, having since moved on from recreational sports.
Despite the entry fees totaling several thousand dollars and equipment fees such as catchers gear at $250 and bats that are around $300-400, Cullen believes it will all pay off with the hopes of her daughter playing softball in college.
“For Lexi, she is a social person and she is competitive,” Cullen said. “She is athletic, and she has a talent. If she goes into college as a softball player, she will go in there with people similarly. Everyone (in club sports) is like one huge family.”
As youth sports continue to move forward, parents are cautious of the costs and hope that it doesn’t get too out of line.
“It’s great to have your kids active and I absolutely agree with that, but be careful,” Starling said. “The kids that are here in Eudora are doing it because it’s just something to do for the summer. Make it so they can do it.”
If you appreciate our sports coverage, please donate. Our newspaper depends on your donations to provide coverage of Eudora and continue providing local news.
To donate to support our community journalism, please go to this link: tinyurl.com/y4u7stxj.
Reach reporter Gus Baylow at [email protected].
