SEK 9,400 a year – that is the average cost of a child’s sports in an association.
This corresponds to a cost increase of 68 percent compared to 2009.
– It is worrying that our costs within the sports movement are increasing more than in society in general, says the National Sports Confederation’s president Anna Iwarsson.
Two researchers have carried out the study on behalf of the National Sports Confederation, RF. Over 1,200 parents participated in the survey, which shows that the cost of children’s main sport has increased by 68 percent compared to 2009.
Anna Iwarsson is chairman of the RF:
– It is worrying that our costs within the sports movement are increasing more than in society in general. It is also interesting that when parents estimate their costs, they think they are high but they also think it is worth it.
But it is clear that it applies to children and young people who are in the sports movement. The question is how it is for those who are not part of that community, says Iwarsson.
Among other things, the survey concludes that ice hockey is the most expensive – SEK 24,300 a year. While athletics and martial arts are the cheapest at SEK 5,000 a year.
Researcher: Problematic
Krister Herrting is one of the two researchers who completed the survey.
– Sport has a high status in society and people are willing to pay for it. Even at the children’s and youth level, one begins to notice this commercialization of sports and also the professionalization.
From a perspective that sport should be for everyone, as the National Sports Confederation wants it to be, it is problematic, says the researcher.
Is sport at risk of becoming a class issue?
– It is a very relevant question. It is clear that the socio-economic challenges are enormous in society and beyond. But now we need to have an internal discussion. Every sports association needs to consider this knowledge we have with us and see how we can safely say that everyone feels welcome, says RF president Anna Iwarsson.