Big sports achievements, the kind that come with endorsements, only come after years of sacrifice that can put big financial strain on a family.

Some studies suggest parents will spend around $1,000-$1,500 each year on their children’s sports activities.

But the amount you need to invest can vary greatly depending on the sport, whether it’s soccer, baseball, hockey or dance.

In Cambridge, Ont., Carol Aubrecht is a single mother of three who has been a baseball mom for most of the last 18 years. She’s also a hockey and dance mom.

“Of course I have to make sure I have the finances to afford what they do.”

But she says there is help available, “There are resources out there for people who can’t afford sports.”

Resources like the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Program, which is supported by Kerry Leroux, owner of the Canadian Tire on Pinebush Road in Cambridge.

“We don’t turn anyone away,” he says. “We try and help in any way we can to get the kids in an organized sports and recreation.”

Jumpstart helps families in financial need put their children in organized sports, providing about $100 per child.

“I love sports. I love to see children involved in sports. I know it’s a huge benefit to them, and that’s why I get involved,” Leroux says.

But while it helps, that support barely puts a dent in the fees and equipment costs involved in a variety of sports.

Here’s a look at the top end registration fees in Guelph:

  • Soccer $220
  • Hockey $570
  • High-level soccer $545
  • High-level hockey $1,335

And those numbers don’t include the cost of purchasing equipment.

For soccer, it may be just shin guards and shoes, but for hockey there’s skates, shin pads, pants, elbow pads, shoulder pads, gloves, helmets, sticks, etc.

Heather Cudmore, a credit counselling manager at Mosaic Counselling and Family Services, says the costs can be managed.

“When you are doing a budget and planning for these sports your kids should be involved. They should know the cost.”

Cudmore works with families dealing with financial difficulties, and sometimes spending too much on minor sports is part of the problem.

“It’s not being a bad parent when you say no to someone, it’s teaching them to live within whatever they’re making.”

Parents also need to budget for hidden costs like travel, hotels and meals, while finding other ways to pay for the big expenses, like buying second-hand equipment or using ‘sweat equity’ by helping out the team.

Coming up in part three: When does the pressure to perform takes the fun out of the game for children and parents?