Key Takeaways
- Registration fees account for only 20-35% of total youth sports costs in Canada; equipment, travel, tournaments, and coaching make up the rest
- Soccer is Canada’s most-played youth sport at 50% participation, with a median annual cost of $450
- 48% of Canadian youth who don’t play sports cite cost as the primary barrier, followed by time constraints (24%) and lack of confidence (18%)
- Community programs in Canada cost roughly half as much as private clubs for popular sports like soccer and swimming
- 21% of Canadian parents have hesitated to enroll a child due to concerns about inclusion, rising to 31-33% among Caribbean, Middle Eastern, African, and Indigenous families
Research Methodology and Scope
Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities released its 2025 State of Youth Sport in Canada report, combining two surveys to examine youth sports participation and costs.
The Cost of Sport Survey collected responses from 5,891 parents representing nearly 10,000 children, fielded July 21 to October 14, 2025. The State of Play Youth Survey gathered input from 3,942 young Canadians in grades 3-12, fielded February 10 to June 30, 2025 through 221 sports organizations.
The report notes that the two samples are independent and should not be interpreted as matched parent-child pairs.
View Full Report Here
Parent-Reported Benefits of Youth Sports Participation
Among families with children currently in organized sport, the perceived benefits are consistent across categories.
96% of parents report positive impacts on physical health. 94% cite improvements in social development and friendships. 93% observe gains in personal empowerment and confidence, with the same percentage reporting benefits to mental and emotional health. 83% report positive impact on cognitive and academic outcomes.
When asked about their emotional experience, parents most frequently selected pride (55%), joy and fulfillment (55%), and confidence in life skill development (54%).
The report also captured financial stress. 32% of parents report anxiety about affordability, and 25% feel overwhelmed by logistics. Among low-income families, affordability stress rises to 41%, compared to 25% among higher-income households.
Youth Motivations: Social Connection Outranks Competition
The youth survey reveals why young Canadians participate in sports.
56% say they play primarily to be with friends. 33% cite having fun. 32% point to learning new skills. Competition does not appear in the top tier of reasons youth participate.
When asked what they gain from sports participation, the top response was “I can make friends” at 60%. Academic motivation followed at 37% (“want to do well in school”), with self-belief at 36% (“have more belief in myself”).
Among youth who do not play sports, cost leads at 48%. Time constraints from schoolwork account for 24%. Lack of confidence (“I’m not good enough to play”) registers at 18%.
“The kids in sport are mostly thriving,” said Christina Lamey, President of Cape Breton Blizzard FHA, in the report. “They have a sense of belonging and purpose. They are resilient and confident in their abilities.”
Cost Breakdown by Sport and Program Type
The typical Canadian family spends approximately $1,200 annually on organized sports across all children. The average rises to $3,064, reflecting higher spending among families with multiple children or those in competitive travel programs.
Registration fees represent only 20-35% of total costs. Equipment, apparel, travel, tournaments, and coaching account for the remainder.
Median annual costs by sport, according to the report:
| Sport | Median Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Swimming | $290 |
| Athletics/Track & Field | $335 |
| Soccer | $450 |
| Basketball | $515 |
| Hockey | $1,938 |
| Equestrian | $2,350 |
Community and recreation-based programs, including city leagues, YMCAs, and local recreation organizations, cost roughly half as much as private clubs for popular sports. 32% of families say programs closer to home would increase their access to sport.
“When programs are brought directly into schools or housing communities and equipment is provided, youth are eager to participate in new sports,” said Mohammed Al-Salem, Founder of Play Forever, in the report.
Soccer Leads Canadian Youth Participation
Soccer leads participation in both surveys, across all four Canadian regions, and in both casual and organized play.
50% of Canadian youth play soccer. In organized sports specifically, soccer leads at 39%, followed by basketball (31%) and swimming (21%).
The report attributes soccer’s reach to moderate cost, broad accessibility, and widespread community programming. Unlike hockey, which carries significant equipment and facility expenses, soccer requires minimal gear and can be played on fields available in most communities.
Hockey ranks among the top sports youth want to try, including 26% of boys of colour and 23% of youth with disabilities, but cost remains a barrier at $1,938 median annual cost.
Inclusion Concerns Affect Enrollment Decisions
One in five parents (21%) have hesitated to enroll a child due to concerns about whether they would be welcome. Among Caribbean, Middle Eastern, African, and Indigenous families, that hesitation rises to 31-33%.
Approximately 25% of Black, Indigenous, and Mixed Race youth report that their coach “almost never” looks like them, compared to 13% of White youth.
Youth with disabilities report the same top barriers as their peers: cost (42%), confidence (25%), and fear of injury (21%). Hockey and swimming top their list of sports they want to try.
Five Structural Differences Between Canadian and U.S. Youth Sports Markets
The Jumpstart report focuses on Canada, but comparison with US data reveals distinct structural differences. The following analysis draws on the Canadian report alongside external US research, cited below.
1. Top Sports Differ by Market
Soccer dominates Canada with 50% of youth participating, according to the Jumpstart report. In the United States, basketball leads at approximately 29% participation, with soccer and football each at roughly 26%, according to Morning Consult survey data from August 2024-August 2025 (source: Morning Consult, “The State of Sports Participation in America,” September 2025).
The Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2025 report found that from 2019 to 2024, flag football was the only team sport tracked by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) to experience growth in regular participation among US kids ages 6-17, increasing 14%. Baseball declined 19%, tackle football declined 7%, soccer declined 3%, and basketball declined 2% during the same period (source: Aspen Institute Project Play, State of Play 2025).
2. School-Based Sports Play Different Roles
In the Jumpstart data, 65% of Canadian youth play through local clubs while 45% participate through school teams.
Kevin Blue, CEO of Canada Soccer, stated in the report: “I spent a significant part of my career in the US and have observed the more significant integration between sport and schools that occurs there. While this has its problems at times, the delivery of sport through the school system helps reduce costs and other barriers.”
The US high school sports system reached a record 8.26 million participants in 2024-25, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (source: NFHS, August 2025). In the US, 58.4% of youth athletes play community-based sports, 30.2% play interscholastic school sports, and 27.5% play travel or club sports, according to Aspen Institute data (source: Jersey Watch analysis of Aspen Institute data).
3. Cost Structures and Trends
Canadian families report median spending of $1,200 annually with an average of $3,064, according to the Jumpstart report.
US families spent an average of $1,016 on their child’s primary sport in 2024, a 46% increase since 2019, according to the Aspen Institute’s parent survey in partnership with Utah State University and Louisiana Tech University (source: Aspen Institute Project Play, “Project Play survey: Family spending on youth sports rises 46% over five years,” July 2025). Including secondary sports, US families average nearly $1,500 per child annually.
The Aspen Institute estimates US parents now spend more than $40 billion annually on youth sports activities (source: Aspen Institute Project Play, 2025).
4. Dropout and Participation Rates
The Jumpstart report does not include a comparable dropout statistic for Canada.
In the US, 70% of children quit organized sports by age 13, according to a 2024 American Academy of Pediatrics report cited in December 2024 Congressional testimony (source: U.S. House Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee hearing, December 16, 2024). US youth sports participation reached 55.4% in 2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health (source: Aspen Institute State of Play 2025).
Low-income US children are six times more likely to quit sports due to costs than their wealthier peers (source: Aspen Institute Project Play, “Survey: Low-income kids are 6 times more likely to quit sports due to costs”).
5. Demographic Participation Patterns
In Canada, 21% of all parents have hesitated to enroll children due to inclusion concerns, rising to 31-33% among Caribbean, Middle Eastern, African, and Indigenous families, according to the Jumpstart report.
In the US, Black youth participation declined from 45% in 2013 to 35% in 2023, according to SFIA data reported by the Aspen Institute. White, Hispanic, and Asian children now play at higher rates than Black youth. Hispanic participation increased 14% in 2023 to its highest level since 2016 (source: Aspen Institute State of Play 2024).
Research by McKinsey Institute and U.S. Soccer Federation found that Latino and Black children are three times more likely than White children to stop playing soccer because they feel unwelcome (source: Aspen Institute State of Play 2025).
Economic Context for Youth Sports Investment
The Jumpstart report cites Statistics Canada’s Human Activity & Environment Report (2022), which shows the Canadian sport sector, excluding professional sport, contributes close to $9 billion annually to Canada’s GDP. The sector supports over 90,000 jobs and includes more than 1.8 million volunteers contributing an estimated $2.7 billion in unpaid labor value annually.
Report Recommendations for Community Leaders
The Jumpstart report outlines four recommendations:
- Design programs around youth motivations: playing with friends, having fun, and learning new skills
- Leverage schools and local clubs as primary delivery sites
- Use technology to connect families with affordable programs and equipment
- Pursue partnerships between sport organizations and community institutions
The report highlights Equip Sport’s equipment lending program, which has generated 16,000 borrowing sessions from 8,100 users in Ottawa and Surrey through 80 equipment lockers, with approximately 500 uses per week and user satisfaction at 4.5 out of 5.
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