Unaffordable Sports Fees Conquered with Neighborhood Games

With skyrocketing prices of everything from food to fuel and many wage earners being laid off, countless families are forced to cut household expenses. With necessities getting harder to afford, heat and food bills are --in many cases-- eating up the lion's share of the family budget. Sports activity fee expenses are getting wiped off the slate of possibilities as many parents scramble to find free ways to keep their kids entertained.

As families struggle with what to cut, they try to figure out priorities. In many ways, sports programs could be considered a necessity. Keeping active is preventative medicine. It fights childhood obesity and contributes to a healthful lifestyle. The social aspects help keep kids mentally healthy as they learn teamwork, develop friendships and gain self-esteem. All the while, parents dip into the benefits too. They bond with other parents on the sidelines, and have quality time with their kids while getting them to and from the field. But what if sports activity fees simply can't fit into the family budget?

Neighborhood games are one solution. Adults in the neighborhood can come together and organize sports practices and competitions for the neighborhood youth. Some parents can coach, while others can make out the schedules and plan the events. One family who has a basketball hoop can host basketball games, while another with a big yard can mark off boundaries for home soccer, flag football or other games. Others who live in apartments with no yards could measure a neighborhood distance and set up running or biking races.

Competitions could be split among age groups or blended events could be set up with child and adult participants so the whole family can exercise and enjoy the sports. Families could do equipment swaps, trading outgrown gear for ones that fit.

The whole process of doing this could help the adults network for camaraderie and possibly even establishing business contacts. The collaborative effort of planning events for the kids could help establish a close sense of community where members take care of each other. With the cost of childcare getting too expensive for many families, these new neighborhood bonds may spark a free way for people to take care of each other's kids when work shifts would otherwise require paying for day care or a sitter.

If sports fees are unaffordable, there is no reason for kids' lives to be void of athletics.

You could poll your neighbors for interest, set up a phone or email tree and schedule a planning meeting. Before long, your whole neighborhood could be looking forward to seasons of fun sports on the block while bank accounts are no worse for the wear.