Travel and youth sports can become really expensive for parents.
It can put a strain on a family budget as families work hard to provide opportunities for their kids to compete at a high level and have fun with their friends.
Keep in mind that less than 2% of high school athletes go on to play Division 1 athletics in college.
We don’t want you to get sold on a promise that by paying an extreme amount of money your kid will have a better opportunity to receive a division 1 scholarship. If your kid is good enough (fast, powerful, amazing fielder, stand out arm strength, great hitter or can throw 90 miles per hour plus), the college coaches will find them.
How Much Does Travel Baseball Cost
The total team cost will range from $3,000 to close to $20,000 not including hotels and other costs associated with the season. Families will pay somewhere between $300 and $4000 for their kid to play travel baseball.
We will break down the cost below as it is impacted by many different variables.
What are the costs associated with travel baseball?
- Off season training facility
- Field Permits
- Uniforms
- Equipment
- Paid Coaches or Parent Coaches
- Tournament Fees
- League Fees
- Umpire Fees
- Lodging
- Travel Expenses
#1 Off-season Training Facility
If your kid’s team is going to practice year round or at least for the majority of the year, there is a good chance they will need to practice indoors for at least a portion of this training time. This can get expensive to rent a facility for each indoor session.
Potential Team Cost: $100-$200 per session
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#2 Field Permits
Maintaining fields is not cheap. Teams that do not have a connection with a local city or township, will more than likely have to rent a field to be able to use for their games or outdoor practices. This can add up over the course of a season if your team is playing a lot of league games.
Potential Team Cost: $50-$100 per Home Game
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#3 Uniforms
Uniforms have become much more fancy and extreme than 20 years ago. No longer do kids just get a pair of cheap white or gray pants and the $8 t-shirt to wear. There are often several pairs of pants, several jerseys, at least one hat and the socks that match the uniform.
This cost is going to be impacted by the total number of uniform combinations and the quality of the uniform
Potential Cost Per Player: $150-$500
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#4 Equipment
Baseballs are expensive! Hitting nets are needed! Training devices are often used and catcher’s equipment is a necessity. The list of equipment can become somewhat lengthy to have the different equipment and tools needed to provide a quality experience. Did you know that a game ball is going to cost around $5 per game ball? Overall, it can start to add up.
Potential Team Cost: $300-$3000
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#5 Paid Coaches or Parent Coaches
Many travel teams associated with a local city or township are coached by parents, who are often coaching as volunteers. They are willing to put in the time to help kids develop and enjoy the game of baseball. In some of the larger travel or club like baseball teams, the coaches are paid to run the practices and coach the teams during the game.
Potential Team Cost: $3,000-$10,000
#6 Tournament Fees
Each tournament can be set up differently based on whether you are paying for umpires each game and have to supply game balls or if these are both covered in the registration fee. Running a tournament is not easy or cheap, so the costs to enter a tournament continue to increase. With baseball, the weather is a variable and tournament directors need people to work on fields and ensure they are ready to go, especially with some wet weather.
Team Cost Per Tournament: $300-$500
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#7 League Fees
If your kid’s team is going to play league games and tournament games, there might be a fee to enter the league to offset the cost for someone to manage the league and provide insurance.
Potential Team Cost: $300-$1000
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#8 Umpire Fees
Umpires are hard to find in many locations, so the cost to pay an umpire continues to increase and local areas try to find ways to attract people to umpire a game. Umpiring isn’t easy as parents and coaches often question every call they make. The pay is almost like battle pay for having to deal with the outrageous behavior of people that attend youth baseball games.
Potential Team Cost: $60-$100 per game
#9 Lodging
Many travel teams will not charge the families up front for lodging fees as families will pay their own hotel in advance when they make a reservation if the team is playing a tournament out of town.
Potential Cost Per Family: $150-$200 per night in a hotel
#10 Travel Expenses
For a family that is traveling with their kid, there are costs connected with gas and meals while traveling on the road. This cost is going to vary from family to family depending on the car that they drive and where they choose to eat.
Potential Cost Per Family: $150-$300 per weekend of travel
Final Thoughts: How Much Does Travel Baseball Cost?
As you can see, the cost to play on a travel team can be rather expensive. Keep in mind that the overall experience is only going to be as good as the other players on the team and the culture created by the coaches and families. Oftentimes, there are lifetime connections built for kids and families and it is enjoyed by all involved. It is a positive thing for a kid to compete in travel sports, as long as the parents help the kid keep everything in perspective