Costs of Organized Sports: RF Mapping Assignment for the Year 2023

Background and Purpose of the Project:

Swedish sports clubs constitute the most significant organized form of leisure activities for children and youth in Sweden, with approximately 70% of all children aged 6 to 12 being members of a sports club (RF, 2021). Involving children in organized sports can entail financial costs for parents, including fees, equipment, travel expenses, and the sale of tickets and other items. This can impose an economic burden on numerous families, occasionally even jeopardizing children's participation in sports. International studies have revealed a correlation between socio-economic status (SES) and the level of physical activity and engagement in organized sports among children and youths, with those from more favorable SES backgrounds participating to a greater extent (see, for instance, Heradstveit et al., 2020; Owen et al., 2022). Research within the Swedish context remains limited, underscoring the need for more profound insights into the actual costs incurred by parents for their children's sports activities, the socio-economic impact thereof, as well as how parents perceive these costs in relation to their children's sports engagement. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the annual financial expenditures parents allocate to their children's sports involvement in organized sports, their perceptions of these costs, the influence of these costs on children's sports participation, and parents' perspectives on the future cost landscape.