It may not have been the intention of the program, but the $100 Active Kids voucher has seen clubs around the Hunter hike their registration fees in an effort to “grab a piece of the pie”.
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At least, that’s what local parents believe is happening to the grassroots system in Newcastle, with many threatening to abandon club sports due to rising fees, expensive equipment costs and “unfeasible expenses for club sports”.
One family has recently registered their children for a local football club, but preferred to remain anonymous in case their “kids were treated differently for speaking”.
“I’ve been speaking to a lot of the parents that are registering kids at clubs around town this year, and a lot of them are confused by rising fees and prices,” the Tighes Hill resident said of club prices, especially in 2018.
“The impression I’ve been getting from other parents is that clubs have been pretty strict about their rising prices and it’s so difficult to cop those costs.”
The Tighes Hill resident paid $135 last year for registration but even factoring in the Active Kids discount in 2018 the out-of-pocket cost totalled $135 again – a rise of $100 between 2017 and 2018.
“What’s sparked the ‘outrage’ was Northern NSW Football advertised the fees as being 30 bucks and now we’re getting slugged with some pretty hefty costs,” the parent said.
When factoring in that soccer is just one of two or three sports that kids would be playing throughout the year, and fears the Active Kids program will apply to only one of the codes, costs rise massively.
“If the soccer clubs have their prices going up, the $100 vouchers help with that but are prices going to go up when we return to cricket, or any other sports?” the concerned parent said.
“It’s worrying when one sport is rising, and we don’t know if others are going to be affected too. It’s a lot of money to pay for something kids basically need to do to keep fit, healthy and social.”
The Tighes Hill parent also revealed when she spoke to Northern NSW Football to discuss the prices rising, the response she received was “are you the person that called earlier today, or the person that called the Office of Sport already?”
“It’s a problem all around the area and a lot of parents are looking at these increased prices and thinking if it’s really worth it,” they said. “Parents have dealt with New Lambton, Cooks Hill and Mayfield – at least parents I know – and it’s all varying levels of raised prices.”
Although Cooks Hill United is not the club the Tighes Hill parent had difficulties with, Cooks Hill’s former president Ed Crawford believes it’s important to clear the air. He stated the rego fees weren’t taking Active Kids into account, or aiming to “make a buck for the clubs”.
Crawford has said the fees many parents pay are “quite reasonable”, and even recently used the Active Kids promotion for his own child’s registration – $100 off $570.
“Any decent club in Newcastle isn’t looking to profit off the vouchers being sent out for parents,” Crawford said. “In fact, if it were up to us at the clubs we would be making the registration fees lower so it wasn’t as much of a barrier for entry at the lower levels.”
“I myself registered my son in the under 17s squad just [recently] and I took advantage of the Active Kids reduction to make the fees $470. When he’s playing nearly 30 games once you include pre-season matches, it’s a pretty good rate.”
Crawford also believes rego fees are a necessary evil when it comes to keeping sports clubs running in the city, and that “the biggest chunk of the costs goes to operating fees to keep the teams in competitions”.
“If it were possible I’d say most clubs would make their rego fees $50, and the Active Kids boost is a welcome addition to the system,” he said.
“It’s just not viable when you account for costs of running facilities, fields and areas, as well as fees from Northern NSW Football and other sectors that leave the club getting just a small part of the rego fee in the end just to keep the club running.”
The Office of Sport, currently providing the $100 provision, has reminded parents if they are worried about increased fees they shouldn’t hesitate to voice concerns.
“If parents have any concerns about providers increasing fees they should contact the Office of Sport, who will undertake an audit review process,” and Office of Sport spokesperson explained.
“Those providers found to have unreasonably increased their fees, or engaged in differential pricing or other breaches of the program, may be de-registered as an Active Kids provider.”
If you are interested in applying for the Active Kids program, additional information is available at sport.nsw.gov.au/sectordevelopment/activekids.
Isaac McIntyre
Got a story or a tip that you want to send through? Contact me at isaac.mcintyre@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Got a story or a tip that you want to send through? Contact me at isaac.mcintyre@fairfaxmedia.com.au
