Costs
Costs of Playing Hockey
- What Are the costs ?
- Why Are Costs So Much ?
Fundamental things to pay for:
- Equipment: Should be used for safety, and functionality. Does not have to be top end $$$ equipment. Look into buying in bulk with your team to lower prices.
- Ice Time & Ice Costs: Costs depend on where you live and number of rinks vs demand. Do your research on the costs rink by rink.
- Coach/Admin/Organization Fees: As the game is specializing so are the costs for good coaching. Do your research, ask the organization for transparency.
- Tournament/League Fees: Tournaments are great for team building and can be good to get good competition, you can find affordable tournaments on a budget with a little research.
- Travel: This can be the biggest expense for some families, and can vary a lot by location. Be intentional on the amount of games, level of competition, so you can get the most of it.
Why have costs changed ?
There has been a shift from a community based model to a privatized model. In addition to this there has been a similar change in who actually owns the ice arenas which has led to an increase in those costs as well.
This has led to an increase in administrative & ice time costs.
View In Depth Article on the Expenses Involved with Youth Hockey