Trying to Save? Here's How to Support Your Local Sports Team on a Tight Income

When my daughter started playing travel soccer this year, I knew it was going to be a more intense -- and more expensive -- experience than recreational soccer. Not only does my daughter attend roughly three hours of practice each week, but between regular games, tournaments, and special events, it feels like I've spent the better part of September and October on a soccer field. 

Now, because I knew my daughter would be joining a travel team, I made a point to boost my savings account balance over the summer to cover the expenses I knew we'd face. But I know that for a lot of parents, youth sports can be a burden.

The Aspen Institute reports that the average family spends $883 per year on a primary sport for a child. So if you have multiple kids playing multiple sports, you might be looking at a much higher outlay. 

Of course, there's a reason youth sports are so expensive. Not only are there uniforms to buy, but there are coaches and referees to pay and, in some cases, spaces to rent. So local teams tend to rely heavily on the financial support of parents.

If money is tight in your world, or if you're trying to meet a goal like paying off credit cards, then you might only be willing to spend so much on a youth sports team. But if you don't have a lot of money in the bank to spend, here's what you can do instead.

1. Spearhead fundraisers

My daughter's soccer team runs several fundraisers during the soccer season, as well as the off-season, to raise funds for the team. Those funds are used to offset everyone's costs. Our team's fundraisers have included a weekly football pool, raffles, and snack stands at games that the parents manage while the kids play.

If you're limited on funds, instead of handing over more money, take charge of more fundraisers. Come up with an idea and advertise the heck out of it so you're able to drum up cash that doesn't have to come out of your wallet. It can be a car wash, a bake sale, or anything you feel will appeal to people in your neighborhood.

2. Enlist the help of local businesses

Local businesses rely on the support of their communities to stay afloat. As such, many are willing to support local teams financially. 

If your team needs funds, reach out to businesses in your neighborhood and see if any are willing to sponsor expenses like uniforms or tournaments. A local business might also be willing to donate goods that help your team. 

For example, you might find a bakery in town that's willing to donate cupcakes and cookies for a snack booth fundraiser. If you don't have to pay for your inventory, anything you earn by selling is pure profit.

Supporting local sports teams isn't easy. Neither is shuttling kids around to games, practices, and tournaments, but as parents, that's just what we do. 

But you don't have to thwart your financial goals to show support for your kids' local teams. Instead, find creative ways to drum up that cash elsewhere.