Minor hockey costs add up; Canadians keep paying

Theresa Dostaler hadn’t exactly budgeted for two extra hockey tournaments this season. Two more costly weekend trips that her sons’ hockey teams had earned by qualifying at regional Silver Stick tournaments.

Thrilled for the excited teammates of her seven- and nine-year-olds, Dostaler hadn’t thought about the extra expenses that will pile up travelling from their home in Madoc, Ont., to finals in Forest, Ont., and Port Huron, Mich. Other tournaments have cost the family between $500 and 1,000 a weekend in gas, hotels, food and other fees.

“Once you’ve signed on for the season, you’re expected to be there and play, whether you budgeted for it or not, and you wouldn’t miss it for anything,” said Dostaler, who estimates she will spend at least $5,600 this season for her three kids to play hockey (two boys on rep teams and a three-year-old daughter in tyke).
“We know the costs can get ridiculous, but we try to find creative ways to make it work for our kids, because we love it.”
Released Monday, a Royal Bank of Canada survey of parents and volunteers across Canada from varying levels of minor hockey found families spend an average of $1,500 a year on hockey-related costs. Many involved in hockey say they spend much more, which they must get creative to afford.
Less than half of respondents felt their leagues were sufficiently funded, and some 82 per cent said corporate Canada should be give more to the sport.

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