Key Takeaways
- Just over half of Irish parents, 51 per cent, have chosen not to enrol a child in a sport or activity because of cost, per Aviva Ireland’s survey of 750 parents.
- ReBoot with Aviva places two donation boxes in every registered school and club so families can swap outgrown football boots for free.
- Supply already exists: 77 per cent of parents surveyed have at least one usable pair sitting unused, and 79 per cent bought two or more pairs in the past year.
- The programme extends a sponsorship that began in 2010 and now runs through 2030, including naming rights to Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Aviva Ireland and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have launched ReBoot with Aviva, a nationwide football boot recycling and swap programme, after Aviva research found that 51 per cent of Irish parents have decided not to enrol a child in a sport or activity because of cost. The programme places boot donation boxes in registered schools and clubs across Ireland, where families can drop off outgrown boots and take a pair in the size they need at no charge. It is a sponsor-funded response to a youth sports affordability problem that Aviva’s own data shows is squeezing four in five households.
Who Aviva Is and Why It Sponsors Irish Football
Aviva plc is a British multinational insurance and financial services company headquartered in London, with core markets in the UK, Ireland and Canada. Aviva Ireland, its Dublin-based subsidiary, sells general insurance, life insurance and pensions. In Irish sport, the brand is best known for the naming rights to Aviva Stadium, the Dublin venue that hosts the national football and rugby teams.
Aviva has sponsored the FAI since 2010. According to Sport for Business, the company extended that agreement last November for another five years, keeping the stadium naming rights through 2030 alongside sponsorship of the Republic of Ireland senior men’s and women’s teams. Grassroots activation has grown within the deal, including In Her Boots, a programme supporting girls aged nine to 16. ReBoot adds a cost and sustainability angle to that platform.
How Much Does Youth Sports Affordability Weigh on Irish Families?
The research behind ReBoot surveyed 750 parents and guardians across Ireland. Per Aviva, four in five said the cost of children’s sport puts financial pressure on their household, and 32 per cent have cut spending elsewhere to keep their children active.
Club membership and sports kit were each cited by 36 per cent of parents as major financial pressures, followed by footwear at 33 per cent, travel at 30 per cent and registration fees at 29 per cent. Nearly one in five, 17 per cent, said they had considered pulling a child out of a sport because of rising costs.
The pressure is not new. Sport Ireland’s 2022 Irish Sports Monitor found that 18 per cent of adults had already cut back on sport spending, with participation rates showing a substantial socio-economic divide, according to Sport for Business. The Aviva figures suggest the strain is sharpest for families with children.
How the ReBoot Swap Works
Schools and football clubs register for the programme and receive two ReBoot boxes. Families place clean, usable boots their children have outgrown in the box, and other families take boots in their size free of charge. Families can nominate their own school or club, and each participating organisation is encouraged to appoint a local ReBoot Champion to run the effort.
Aviva’s data points to a deep inventory in Irish homes. Per the survey, 77 per cent of parents have at least one usable pair of children’s sports boots or shoes no longer being worn, and 57 per cent have at least two pairs. Turnover is fast: 79 per cent said they bought two or more pairs of football boots in the previous 12 months.
Participating schools and clubs enter a prize draw for a €1,000 cash donation, international match tickets, a mascot experience at a Republic of Ireland men’s senior home game and an Aviva Stadium tour. Broadcaster Jennifer Zamparelli, whose children play sport, fronts the awareness campaign.
Caroline Cummins, Sponsorship Manager at Aviva Ireland, said the research shows the cost of taking part is becoming a challenge for many families. “By encouraging families to donate and swap football boots, we can help reduce costs, cut down on waste and support more children to stay involved in the game they love,” she said.
Two Boxes per Club Against a 51 Per Cent Problem
ReBoot is cheap for families, simple for clubs to administer and fits the sustainability agenda the FAI is developing with MyWaste around waste management and circularity in football clubs, per Sport for Business. It also gives Aviva a grassroots touchpoint that is useful rather than merely visible, which is where sponsorship activation increasingly earns its keep.
Its limits are written into Aviva’s own survey. Footwear ranked third among cost pressures at 33 per cent. Club membership and kit, each cited by 36 per cent of parents, remain untouched.
Source: Sport for Business, September 10, 2026, https://sportforbusiness.com/aviva-tackles-cost-barrier-to-youth-sport-with-national-boot-swap/
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How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
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YSBR delivers original reporting and market intelligence on youth sports facilities, youth sports technology, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital deals, NIL policy, coaching development, equipment and apparel, tournaments and events, and community sports initiatives. Readers include industry executives, investors, facility owners and operators, league administrators, and youth sports parents.
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Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
