To be good and get recognition for it you need to be rich?

[Dontbestupidagain]

I have 4 DC. They all have their hobbies, some of which they harbour ambitions for the future. Eldest DD is a good dancer. She is part of the Royal Ballet associates scheme. She dances at a local school but if she wants to take it further we will need to invest significantly in extra lessons. There are loads of opportunities out there for dance but they all cost and we just can't keep up with that. Meanwhile those that can afford it improve at a faster rate and then are offered the better opportunities.
My other DD is good at gymnastics. We live pretty rurally but she has been spotted at our local club and asked to do extra lessons. Obviously the more she does the more it costs and if she doesn't do them she will not be at the same level as her peers.
I am sure this is not just restricted to sport but it seems that unless you are some kind of prodigy with freakish innate ability (and even if you are) then it's money that plays the most significant role in your opportunity for success.
So AIBU?

Yanbu. Meritocracy is a lie.

Of course. There’s no such thing as talent just proper concerted practise and coaching and that’s ££££. That’s presumably why the vast majority of athletes are from at least upper middle class families or live on the doorstep of a sports facility with a good locals programme.

If you want your kid to be a prodigy you need to haemorrhage money, dedicate your life to carting them about and live near a good facility. Many of the Olympic table tennis champions come from the same area as that’s where the top coach live.

Are there any local trust you can apply to for a grant? Or local companies? I got help for music lessons from both sources. I was also lucky to have a wonderful music teacher who always made it clear that I mustn’t feel embarrassed to bring up if lessons become too expensive, as she would work out an affordable rate for me as she wanted to teach me.

You’re not at all wrong. These things are very expensive, and in my industry (arts) it’s very sad that funding is being taken away as the people coming up are all from the same background.

You absolutely have to put the work in to these things, but you also have to have talent in the first place. There are so many people who never get the opportunity to fully realise their potential, which is a shame for them, and in some cases a real loss to society in general.