Editorial: Sport can set kids up with skills for life

It’s no secret households across the State and the country are tightening their belts.

For some, it’s a matter of cutting down on little luxuries like take-away work lunches, ensuring they have the best internet plan, or switching from premium to home brand groceries.

For these families, the cost-of-living crisis is a concern, but it doesn’t represent a financial catastrophe.

If this is you, consider yourself fortunate.

Because for other families, whose household budgets had little fat left to trim, the sacrifices are far greater.

That could mean facing the choice of which bill to pay on time. It could mean skipping meals.

Or, confronted with the highest levels of inflation in decades, it could mean having to cut back on kids’ sport.

An investigation by The West Australian has laid bare the skyrocketing cost of what was not so long ago a given — enrolment in the local footy or netball team.

Anecdotally, costs have doubled for some sports in the past decade, putting sports out of reach for some families.

And club administrators say the increase has directly related to a number of children dropping out.

Of course, registration fees are just one part of the cost of organised sport. Add to the the price of boots, uniforms, travel fees and end-of-season events and having a kick with your mates can quickly become an enormous financial burden for parents.

Particularly in an era that there are more screens than ever before vying for kids’ attention, it’s important that sports are affordable and accessible for any child who has the drive to strap on shinpads or pick up a racquet.

The benefits of sports participation for kids are many, varied and can carry through their entire lives.

It’s not only about finding the next Peter Bol or Samantha Kerr.

As well as health benefits such as a reduced risk of obesity, better cardiovascular fitness and healthy bone growth, sports can have mental health and social advantages too. Sport improves kids’ social skills, teaches them cooperation and leadership skills as well as how to react to and overcome disappointments.

Sports can set kids up for life.

For their part, clubs are saying they are doing their best to keep costs down.

But inflation and rising insurance costs mean there is only so much they can do.

There are only so many lamington drives, sausage sizzles or community car washes these mostly volunteer-run organisations can hold.

There is some State Government help available, including through its KidSport scheme, which in the past year has seen $3.4 million paid out to 23,600 kids through $150 vouchers to go towards club fees.

There’s also cash available to community groups to help develop facilities, again alleviating some of the cost burdens on members.

But if the costs of sports participation continue to rise, some parents might find it’s just not enough.

Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by WAN Editor-in-Chief Anthony De Ceglie