An investigation of the costs of different community sports has found that parents are paying about $400 - sometimes twice as much - for children to play soccer and at least $300 for basketball.

Fees for junior netball start at $250 and football costs $120.

Depends on the league and/or the club. My son played soccer last year, we had to pay a rego fee to the club ($200) and then a weekly amount to pay for the ref (about $50 total), plus buy his boots and shinpads ($100), so that's $350. Some clubs in our comp charged a bit more, others a bit less. We also got a discount as a continuing player, new players were charged more.

I think this is one of the causes kids are taking up football etc, it's far cheaper for parents and lets face it with Interest Rates, the cost of petrol etc parents need to save all the money they can.

Why are basketball fees so high? Is it because of stadium maintenance? Why do you pay all the fees and then still have to pay for each game?

Do parents still get charged to enter a stadium?
If so that one has always bugged me, when i coached i had parents who would wait in the car park as they could not afford the extra $ to watch their kid play.

Yes, parents still get charged to enter, as well as grandparents, siblings and anyone else that comes to support the kids! Sometimes our family ends up paying about $20 a game for everyone that comes to support our nine year old boy. It seems a bit rough that the kids pay their club fees and then to get into the stadium to play each week as well.

Netball's the same though - at ETSA park everyone that enters the stadium pays to spectate or play as well.

We have had people not come to support matches because of the cost.

Im pretty sure that BSA set the Game fees for players, and that spectator fees are set by the clubs as revenue raisers.

There arent too many ways a club can make money (besides charging its players club fees) so charging whoever walks in the door is probably the only other source of income, besides bar/canteen profits.

The biggest factor I have always noticed in the Football V Basketball cost battle is Sponsorship. It seems any old football club playing in the Amatuer League in division 3 will get more sponsorship than some ABL clubs. I guess it comes down to Return of Investment. More players, specatators means more exposure of the product your selling.

Ignorance is bliss hustle!

Clubs receive none of the door takings. BSA get all of it. After paying ref's and the door person they make about $75 - $100 per game of junior basketball.

Surely 7 or 8 paying players per team would cover expenses for the refs and a door person.

you only have to look at the cost of basketball in the country towns to know you are getting ripped off and they have the same over heads of running a stadium. 5 years back when i was at whyalla kids paid $2.50 to play and parents got in for free and and i think subs were $60 but not totally sure about that. maybe someone has more recent fugures on this.

Do parents still get charged to enter a stadium?

I think it is discraceful that parents have to pay to watch their child play basketball, especially after shelling out money for registration, club fees, petrol and uniforms etc..

i am sure their are many talented kids out there whose parents just dont have the money for them to play basketball.

basketball will never improve in this country until BSA and BA ease the pressure on families and clubs.

i thought that one of the reasons we originally had to pay these admission prices for was to assist in helping the finacial mess that was BASA.

BASA is gone, the sixers and lightning are now both privately owned and we are still paying the admission prices.

They will keep taking the money... to the long term detriment of the sport!

Pure Greed BSA !

I am a parent and I very rarely pay to get in, I just walk in without paying - never get stopped, maybe you should try it. I fork out enough for my child to play, as if I am going to pay to watch also. In particular if I am expected to score aswell!

I have been stopped, from doing that,sometimes.
But , have been allowed to do it a few times.
If your a parent taking juniors to games and back home, with the price of petrol etc., sometimes you need that bit of encouragement.