£60 for kit? Need to check if I'm being unreasonable or unrealistic

[newjobnewstartihope]

So my little one wanted to go to a club that does football training. It's 35 pounds a month which is a bit more than most similar clubs round here but fine . Seems like a good club . However after being asked to sign up and set up a direct debit for that I was then told I needed to order his kit. No problem I thought expecting a top and shorts to cost 20 odd quid. 60 pounds they wanted for a kit for a club which will probably not fit in six months (ds is 7)
Is that a fuckload of money or am I being a stinge? I've sadly had to tell him he can't go as it's too much money and he's upset but even if I had it I think it's a lot ....is it?

That seems really expensive to me. We pay £15 a month and that covers pitch fees, FAW insurance and one kit per season (we have to pay extra for replacements which I think is fair).

However, the club coaches are all volunteers so that might be the difference.

Grassroots sport should be as accessible as possible. I wouldn't be able to afford the costs of your son's football team.

@newjobnewstartihope have you asked about second hand kit or are they all personalised?

Would starting after the summer be an option and using the coming months (April-July) to save the fees (£35 x 4/£140) to cover his initial kit? Size up and hope hopefully lasts a year. £80 left in the replacement fund for when needed and add a £ here and there if you can or buy bits for birthday/Christmas?

Well thanks for a varied range of views I will have a little look into some of the local grassroots clubs

I'm surprised at all the people paying £££ for kits. Do your clubs not have sponsors?

We have dc in rugby, football and basketball. Pay approx £15 a month for each, no kit costs - kits are covered by local businesses who sponsor the team.

If your dcs club doesn't then I would be looking into that.

My son plays grassroots and it’s about a tenner a month with kit (sponsored kit). We did have to pay for his hoodie and coat.

yours seems steep but I wouldn’t be paying out straight away for the entire kit until your child has been there a couple of months and is sure he likes it. I have a 7 year old who just started girls football. She won’t be getting the kit for a good few months. I haven’t even bought her the correct boots yet because I need to know if she’s going to stick at it. She’s fine with this.

then if he does want to continue in a few months I would either see if you can just buy the top and socks to begin with or look for secondhand ones which there will likely be some around. If you’ve chosen an expensive club to join then I suppose it isn’t a surprise that they charge for an expensive kit.

My advice is to go on your local Facebook group and say your child is looking to join a local team for the 23/24 season. Obviously stage his age and ability and see what comes back. That’s how I found a spot for my 6 year old last year.

You’re being silly to tell him he can’t go because you can’t afford the kit straight away. Surely he’d rather go then get the kit later?!

It depends whether kit is just shirt, shorts, socks, or a tracksuit, rainjacket etc. too.

If the latter, then £60 is about right. Bear in mind they'll wear the tracky top, jacket etc. away from football (and will love doing so). Also, it's the sort of stuff you can order a size or two too big, without it looking ridiculous, so you shouldould get a couple of years' wear out of it.

I don’t think the OP is being silly at all. She’s looking at her budget, rightly thinking ‘this sounds insanely expensive’ and shopping around for other options. EXACTLY what most normal people do.

I would be more angry at my 7 year old DS calling me a 'terrible parent' . Did he really use that expression? Does he have any Christmas or birthday savings he could put towards it? We always put financial gifts away with the strict understanding that they had to be used for those sorts of purchases, my DS plays cricket ... yes the kit is expensive but it was always bought as birthday and Christmas presents.
Look at local charity shops ... we get loads of sports kit donated and no one ever seems to want to buy 'second hand' kit.

Check if there are any local grants available... in the small town I live in there are a couple of 'historical' legacies set up for this sort of thing which can be accessed. Ask at your local Lions or Rotary charity... they often support children in the community.

Exactly @RudsyFarmer. Even if you can afford something, it's good to have a think about whether it is good value for money.

It is steep, but not unusual. I would let him go and tell him you’ll wait to see he is definitely keen to do it before buying any kit. So you can easily do 4 or 5 weeks in what ever clothes he has. By then you’ll have met all the parents and found out about any second hand kit. Someone on his team will be bigger, and have grown out of it, or try and speak to the next age group up. Also does he have to have the whole kit. My dd plays rugby and I have bought generic socks for her from Mitre which is football kit. They stock most of the colour ways inc bands and tops. The socks are about £1.80 instead of the rugby club £15. Also shorts. Do they wear black shorts, just get a plain pair from Mitre or decathlon. Then all you need is the shirt.

😂 it’s hardly let them eat cake!

you aren’t on benefits because if you were, you would have mentioned it I’m sure.

if you can afford £30 a month for lessons then £60 is not unattainable.

you’ve also ignored my suggestions ( and everyone else’s) to look at second hand kit and even approach the providers about a reduction.

others have suggested that your son just waits a few weeks, but apparently that’s not possible?

you’re obviously just on here for a moan and to justify being mean to your son.

If it was me, I’d be scrimping and saving to buy him that kit 🤷‍♀️

I have never heard of a grassroots kids team charging that much. Or even charging at all.

You'll get no sympathy off gymnastics parents.

£150 for a competition leotard they have to have (only allowed to wear at competitions) and will probably wear twice before it gets changed or they grow out of it.

£60 and £35 a month sounds a steal to me!

(son's new sport is £350+ a month...)

That's because this isn't a grassroots team it is a private training company.

Can you have a look on Vinted? See if anyone is selling a kit? Seems like a reach but I found a obscure kit on there, needed(?) for a club

We pay £25 subs and get football kit free. However, training kit (socks, shorts, training top, and waterproof jacket) was £50. They are personalised with the kids' initials though.

It is a lot of money, I agree, I just cut back on other stuff that month to get the training kit as he's on a team and all his teammates have it.

Same at my dds gymnastics - £30 for tiny leotard and £45 for the rest of the kit - hoodie/t shirts/shorts etc. plus nearly £50 a half term and a yearly membership of £25 it's crazy.

My dd has been going 9 months but I have only recently bought the leotard as it was optional and I wanted to be sure she was committed to continuing - I'd say 70% of kids have it and the others were just wearing cycling shorts and t shirts. She asked for the leotard as she's 5 and wanted to be like the other kids but understood it was a lot of money and was fine wearing her normal clothes as she wasn't the only one.

I would let your son go in another football kit for now and if its something he is going to commit to then consider buying it or asking if any older kids have outgrown theirs etc. Football kits are expensive- I have 2 older boys and proper kits have always been £60+ and they had different ones for home/away too! We sometimes asked grandparents for kit for their birthdays instead of presents!

Eek @bellswithwhistles just seen your post about the competition leotards!! I'd better start saving for these if she continues with gymnastics long term lol.

Is it one of those junior teams that’s a franchise from a major club? We did one of those and the kit price was similar. We’re pretty comfortable but the price made me wince, though I did make it clear to DS w would be only branded kit I’m buying, no team supporter shirts for Premier League etc.
see if there’s a parents WhatsApp group - someone may well have a set they’ve grown out if to tide you over, and save up the new kit for Xmas/birthday (or allocate it to family as a present et when they next ask for ideas)

I agree with lots of other posters. Can you get hold of one second hand? Does the club maybe have a FB site for parents that you could post on? TBH, it might be a bit late in the season for that now but there will probably be lots of them available at the start of the next season (the club might put on a sale of 2nd-hand gear). Also once you get to know the parents you might hear about stuff going around.
Planning this route for my DD who needs an out kit for field hockey next year (home shirt is 12.50 a year rental fee so not too bad and a cheap skirt is fine as long as it's navy).

Well yeah they can be disappointed - but to start calling your parenting skills terrible and to be having a tantrum? No.

Did u not check before taking him, sport always vista far more than u think it will.

So what are you going to do about it, OP?

you’ve been given a myriad of strategies and you don’t seem to be doing any of them.

@BarbaraofSeville people who ‘can’t afford to buy less coffee’ wouldn’t be signing up for £30 a month football.

The OP hasn’t really given any details about her financial system- but I’m not exactly asking her to pull a new uniform out of the aga, or sell one of the cars 🙄

don’t come on for advice if you don’t want it