Parents pay a high price for having healthy kids
JARROD and Sharon Field fork out $1000 a year for their three kids to play sport and would love government aid but insist time has been the only true sacrifice.
Brothers Brayden, 15, Mason, 12, and Austin, 11, have been enrolled in swimming, tennis, gridiron, Aussie rules and Little Athletics over the years.
However dad Jarrod, the football manager at Southport Sharks, says while junior sport can be expensive many codes offer value for money.
“Some sports are reasonable but it depends on how much you do,” Field said.
“(From our experiences) Aussie rules and Little Athletics are the best value for money because you get a long season but tennis is pretty costly. It all adds up.”
Field estimates that he spends $1000 a year, which is gradually increasing, to get his kids on to a sporting field though he believes the experience is worth it.
“We want them to experience a lot of different sports,” he said.
“They’ll work it out whether they want to specialise down the track but at the moment we want them to experience everything and have fun.
“We haven’t had to sacrifice anything financially but we’ve sacrificed a lot of time just like other Gold Coast families.”
With some families being financially locked out of sport and the childhood obesity epidemic taking hold, Field believes government assistance is necessary.
“If it encourages kids and families to get out there playing sport then it’s a good thing for society,” he said.