Parents of young cricketers, footballers and basketball players are now paying more than $500 a year on average for their children to play, plus more on equipment, according to a national survey highlighting Australia’s most expensive codes, as state governments pledge hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure sport is not just for the wealthy.
But new research from the University of Sydney has found subsidising families’ sporting costs through the use of government vouchers alone is not enough, after two prominent recent examples – including a high profile New South Wales scheme – failed to increase sport participation at scale.
This evidence comes as the Queensland government expands its voucher scheme, now costing taxpayers $62.5m a year, and similar programs have been in place in every state.
At the same time, the increasing price of children’s sport has been highlighted by cost breakdowns in the government’s AusPlay survey, released again in 2025 after a year’s break due to a change in methodology.
It shows several popular sports including gymnastics, tennis, swimming, cricket, athletics, basketball and football cost parents more than $500 a year on average in registration, membership and venue access, and excluding outlays required for uniforms, bats, rackets, boots and balls.
Only gymnastics showed any decrease from the last time AusPlay data was released in 2023, highlighting a trend of escalating costs going back years.
Bar graph showing the average annual cost of a selection of popular sports in Australia
Rochelle Eime, professor in sports science at Federation University, said there has been a longstanding association between participation and socioeconomic status, and a voucher worth $100 or $200 a year is insufficient for many families.
“$150, $200, it doesn’t really cut through does it, when you’re trying to pay the rent and keep the lights on, put food on the table – something’s got to give,” she said.
Eime said sports need to try to offer alternatives, and move from formal, organised and often expensive settings to a more “person-centred” approach focused on enjoyment and retention.
“We get very busy organising things, and sport prioritises grading and talent development and trying to fit into structures and stuff like that,” she said. “The majority of kids just want to have fun and play with their friends, and if they’re enjoying themselves, they’ll come back.”
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The average cost for a football player was $334 in 2016, rising to $459 in 2022 before the latest figure of $513 covering the survey period across 2023 and 2024. Basketball’s average outlay rose from $414 to $551 between the latest two reports.
The University of Sydney research revealed the Active Kids voucher program in NSW failed to deliver the kind of broad society-level increases in physical activity and weekly sport participation had aimed for.
Between 2018 and 2022, when the program offered $100 vouchers, physical activity fell and weekly sport participation was found to have dropped significantly, from 70.3% to 53.6%.
Dr Lindsey Reece, who is one of the study’s authors and also the Australian Sport Commission’s sport programs director, posted on LinkedIn this month saying: “Covid-19 certainly played a role – but even outside of pandemic years, the expected boost in activity did not materialise across the population.”
The key takeaway she posited was that while financial support matters, vouchers alone “are not enough to shift the dial on children’s physical activity at scale” and future programs “must incorporate targeted, evidence-based behaviour change strategies and address inequities in access and participation”.
The report suggests media campaigns and partnerships with community leaders and organisations should be considered in future to encourage further uptake in targeted children and adolescents.
The government’s decision to make the Active Kids program means-tested in 2024, “may contribute to closing the socioeconomic gap in physical activity and this adapted program should be evaluated,” the report said.
Those who spoke a primary language other than English at home, were aged 15 to 18 years old, lived in the most disadvantaged areas, and were girls were less likely to sign up for sport.
Rising costs are a major concern for officials within the Australian Sports Commission who have commissioned a separate report into the impacts of the high cost of participating in sport, due to be released in coming months.
