The myriad reasons why parents buy team sports equipment for their children range from personal experience to cost to accessibility — and understanding those reasons are vital to team dealers looking to make those sales.

To that end, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) recently released an illuminating report – The Team Sports Parent Insights survey – aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of how parents navigate the youth team sports landscape, focusing on their purchasing behaviors, motivations and barriers. The research specifically examined equipment decision-making, providing dealers with directional insights into spending patterns, purchasing channels and factors that influence brand and product choices.

“Several important themes emerged from the report,” explains Alex Kerman, senior director of research operations and business development at SFIA, in the report’s Executive Summary. “Parents continue to face rising costs associated with team sports, with expenditures on travel, registration and equipment presenting barriers for many families.

“Convenience and online purchasing are playing an increasingly central role, while quality, durability and value continue to be critical drivers of purchasing decisions,” he adds. “This report reflects SFIA’s belief that understanding the full landscape of sports requires listening to those on the frontlines: families and the athletes they support.

Key Takeaways

Parents see team sports as essential to their children’s growth and, despite rising costs and access challenges, they strongly affirm the benefits of youth sports participation — from building character and confidence to fostering friendships and healthy habits. Their commitment underscores both the resilience of youth sports and the responsibility of stakeholders to support it.

Among the findings:

• Nearly all parents agree on the benefits of youth team sports; however, affordability remains a recurring concern. Families with multiple children or lower incomes feel the strain most acutely, while higher-income parents are more attuned to the rapid rise in year-over-year expenses.

• Participation is rooted in family experience and values. Parents’ own background in sports participation strongly shapes how they support their children today, creating a generational link that sustains participation.

• The elementary and middle school years remain the peak engagement period; however, access barriers – particularly cost and inadequate facilities – create ongoing challenges.

• Parents seek value for money, durable products and trusted brands, while also factoring in their children’s preferences.

• Sales and promotions have a significant influence on decisions, whereas endorsements and sponsorships carry relatively little weight.

• Most families purchase gear once or twice a year, with baseball and soccer equipment requiring more frequent replacement.

Driving the Purchasing

It is not surprising that the survey found that mothers drive most household decisions, yet sports purchases seem to be the exception. Women take the lead in decisions about children’s activities, while sports equipment and apparel buying is a uniquely shared responsibility.

• Over half of women reported being the primary decision-maker for their children’s extracurricular activities, compared to just 19 percent of men.

• Most surveyed parents (85 percent) are highly involved in their child’s sports and activities. Nearly three-quarters also played sports themselves, highlighting a strong generational connection to youth sports.

• Parents who played sports as children often become key decision-makers for their families. Their personal history with sports fosters loyalty to certain brands, leagues and equipment types, creating a strong influence on household spending and engagement patterns.

• Parents’ purchasing behaviors reflect the same mix of cost-consciousness, practicality and family priorities that shape their children’s sports participation. While sales and discounts drive most purchases, parents also lean on trusted recommendations and convenience.

• When it comes to youth sports equipment, parents weigh practical considerations most heavily. Price and overall value are the top deciding factors when choosing between brands, followed closely by product quality. Trust in a brand’s reputation carries influence, though less than affordability and durability. Convenience factors, such as availability or ease of purchase, play a role for some, while brand image and endorsements are least likely to tip the scales.

Affordability and Access

When asked what would make purchasing youth sports equipment easier, parents overwhelmingly pointed to more affordable pricing or better value for money. Beyond cost, more than half cited easier access to products, whether through better online availability or in-store accessibility. Bundled deals, convenient delivery options and clearer product comparisons were also noted, but each at lower levels.

These findings reinforce that while families face a range of logistical hurdles, affordability and access to products stand out as the most immediate concerns shaping their buying experiences. Among other insights:

• Youth sports peak in middle childhood and costs add up quickly. Youth team sports participation is concentrated in the elementary and middle school years, peaking at ages 9-11, when nearly half of children are actively involved. Engagement remains strong across the wider 6-13 age range, and many families support multiple children in sports, compounding the financial strain.

• Annual spending per child varies, but the reported median exceeds $2400, primarily driven by registration fees, travel and equipment costs. For families with multiple athletes, costs can add up quickly, underscoring the financial pressures that shape participation.

• Most parents cite rising costs and limited access to affordable opportunities as barriers to sustaining their children’s sports participation. The intensity of these pressures, however, differs by family profile. Lower-income households and families with multiple children are most likely to highlight affordability challenges, while higher-income parents are more attuned to year-over-year cost increases, often reflecting exposure to travel and club programs.

Affordability Tops The List

As the SFIA report demonstrates, affordability remains the primary concern for parents when making youth sports purchases, but it is not the only factor influencing their decisions. According to the survey, access and convenience also play significant roles, with families seeking simpler ways to find, evaluate, and replace equipment.

“While parents continue to balance practical considerations with their children’s input, the overall picture is clear: families want purchasing to be easier, more transparent, and better aligned to their budgets,” SFIA concludes, with even small improvements in clarity, bundling or availability could go a long way in easing the process.

“These directional findings do more than highlight current challenges. They demonstrate opportunities for industry stakeholders to address parents’ needs, whether through pricing strategies, retail experiences or product innovations. By making youth sports more accessible and sustainable, the industry can help ensure that families remain engaged — and that participation continues to grow.