How much does 10U travel softball cost?

[Eric F]

How much do you have? It will cost that much.

Joking...

Mostly...

In our experience with 10U-18U TB in So Cal, it varies. Most often, there's an up-front buy-in for uniforms, gear, etc., followed by monthly dues to cover practice fields, game fees, insurance, coach pay (if the coaches are paid), etc. Some teams are very transparent about where the money goes. Some are not.

My DD's current 18U team is pay-as-you go. There are monthly dues that got to the org and practice field fees. Each tournament or friendly event is paid as it comes up. It felt kind of like a constant flow of nickels and dimes, at first, but it's totally transparent. We know where every dollar is going.

 

[canyonjoe]

It's all different depending on where and how often you play. If you have to pay for practice facilities,etc.

Look at tournament coming up and see the costs per tournament which is pretty easy to calculate.

Uniforms are a big upfront cost and depend on how many you get. I would suggest getting nice but standard pants and then at least 2 shirts.

You can add bags,etc if you want.

If you don't have have to pay for indoor facilities that makes a big difference to a team.

As someone else mentioned travel is where it really hits you. If you play local it's not an issue, but if you have to stay over 1 or 2 nights that adds up fast.

 

[YOCOACH]

Your team fees will vary based on many different factors. Is the team getting matching equipment? If so, is it just helmets or team batpacks and catchers bags? This number can vary between $45-60 or so per helmet, $60-80 per batpack and anywhere from $100-170 per catchers bags depending on what they get quality-wise. Next is uniforms. Is the team getting 1 or 2? Jerseys only or a full set with matching pants? Matching hoody included? Socks and belts included? If so, 2 full sets and hoody will average roughly $200 per player. Socks and belts, add another $25 or so. How many tournaments are they playing throughout the year? What's the average cost of tournaments in your area? You can figure that one out on your own by looking at your local/state SB site where many tournaments are listed including fees and ways to sign up. Does the team have to pay for field use, an indoor facility or both? How much? Are the coaches paid? Again, how much? Add in another $75 or so for sanctioning fees and team insurance per player. All of these come into play in figuring out a budget for a team and estimating fees. Now divide the estimated total by the number of players. Then you'll have your estimated fees.

I understand that you may not be able to give some, or even many of these answers. Therefore, it's going to be tough for us to give you an answer in return. So, ask questions before accepting an offer for a team. A good coach that has all of their ducks in a row so to speak should already have their estimated budgets done beforehand and can give you answers.

Some of the questions to ask:
What are team fees?
Are they split into monthly payments, X number of payments or one lump sum?
Do you fundraise also?
Can you offset the team fees by fundraising or getting team/organizational sponsors?
If so, how is it handled? Does the full amount come off of your team fees or just a percentage?
What are you getting for uniforms? What's included?
What are you getting for team equipment?
How many tournaments do you plan on scheduling?
Any overnighters?

Some parents will just ask a generic 'What's included in the team fees?' and often-times get the generic answer of ' x number of tournaments, uniforms, team equipment and practice facilities.' Be specific in your questions so you know exactly what you're spending your money on and what you'll have to pay for out of pocket afterwards.

As an example, my 14U team budget this year was set at $16,000 based on 12 players and additional fundraising.
It includes:
Outdoor field rental
Indoor facility rental
2 full uniforms including matching hoodies, sock and belts
Team equipment which includes helmets with facemasks and team logo stickers, batpacks with embroidered numbers and names and 2 catchers bags with the same embroidery
Team sanctioning fees for the sanctions we'll be playing
Team insurance
4 Fall tournaments that we played, 2 of which were showcases and two not
1 indoor Winter night single "day" tournament (PP starts at 9 p.m. bracket at midnight)
8 Summer tournaments 4 of which are showcases, 2 that are large enough to draw college coaches even though they aren't showcases and 2 for fun.
3 of them are overnighters so there's additional travel expense involved.
2 separate indoor cage match leagues
Our coaches don't get paid.
All fundraising and sponsor fees go to the team as a whole.

Team fees are $800 split into three payments on consecutive months of September, October and November. We've fundraised over $4000 already and have found 3 large corporate sponsors so far totaling $3000 so we're covered although I wouldn't mind more so I can sign up for the Fall tournaments the upcoming year without robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The reason I mentioned the showcases is simply because they are pricey. Depending on where you go, they can range anywhere from $675 to $1500 or more. Yes it gets more expensive as they age up. Hope some of this helped you.

 

[_MIA_]

15 kids?

4 or 5 years ago when DD played 10u it was 45 per month for org fees (this included indoor facility..I think we might have paid an extra $50 for an outdoor field) plus maybe 15 tournaments (Fall and Spring) at about 25 dollars per tournament. We only traveled once in 10u. Add in uniforms, helmets, etc all together it was probably around 1250 for the whole year for the team expenses. We are in OK.

Now that she is in 14u it is probably 2 to 3 times that with increased travel and more expensive tournaments (and we pay $50 a month for the coach). That said, my DW is from HI so before TB we would go to HI every summer and spend over 10K so I figure I spend less and don't have to hang with the in-laws so win-win..I work on my tan at the ballfield now

 

[Strike2]

Define "travel". Are you really looking at mostly local tournaments, or are you touring the nation? Teams and costs vary greatly. It's possible in most places to play a whole season of local tournaments for hundreds, including gear. It's also possible to sink thousands into driving or even flying to places where you might end up playing a team that you know.

At 10U, routinely playing in distant locations that you wouldn't consider going to if softball wasn't a factor is somewhere between dubious and dumb. So is paying significant money up front for anything other than a completely known quantity. Some orgs / teams are big on promises and short on delivery. The pay-as-you-go model is best in most cases.

Paying ~$300 for gear/fixed costs up front is normal, but it's 10U, not OU. A custom uniform or two is fine, but lots of good supplements can come off the rack. Bag & helmet are also standard. A monthly fee for practice is also fine. Paying for team coaches at 10U is unusual. Resist being drawn into paying for some number of tournaments up front. Schedules are nice, but weather will have the most say about where and when you play. Lots of stories here about how people thought they paid for "X", and ended up seeing something less.

 

[jsoftballcoach]

At 10U, stay local. I wouldn’t have a problem paying for an entire season as long as it was laid out and you knew where the money was going. I think we paid about 600 per season at 10U (7 years ago).

15 kids is a lot


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[Bpolly2004]

This year our 10 14 16 and 18u teams costs are fixed at 1000 dollars. We do a drawing for squares and also try to get sponsorships. If we can't raise enough those ways the parents have to make up the rest of the 1000 dollars.

 

[GKCO]

15 players? RIP to playing time. My daughters team has 12 and the coaches have a hard time finding the less skilled girls playing time.

 

[BigChew9]

Most of the 10u teams I know of in in MA are $1000-1200.


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[Hustle LI]

it depends on goals and the level she is playing at. different travel organizations play at different levels and travel differently. the range here is crazy. 10U believe it or not gets serious. there are national level travel teams at this age. you are likely looking at 800K for a local operating non-profit travel team to 2000. this does not include hotels, if needed. organizations are different with payments. some want it all up front, while others, especially high priced ones, will work with you for a payment plan. good luck