Brittany Mallory was a member of the 2013 Notre Dame women’s basketball team that made it to the National Championship.
Many young athletes are involved in travel or club level sports outside of their school-sponsored teams. These teams come with a hefty price tag. With such a big investment, a huge reward is expected.
Parents are being asked to readily hand over big fees and other expenses to help their children get to that next level in sports. Their children have talent, so they want the best training. Most of them believe their child can earn an athletic scholarship at the college level.
Club volleyball teams, some trying to make it to the Junior Olympic level, spend anywhere from $2,000 to $15,000 per year for each player. AAU, Amateur Athletic Union, basketball teams are extremely popular for girls and boys. Some participants pay a minimum of $1,500 that covers the cost of a uniform and most tournament fees. Travel is not included. Plane tickets, hotels, food, gas, car rentals and tournament entrance fees are additional. Week long tournaments in Florida will likely turn into a family vacation. This can add up to thousands of dollars per year.
Brittany Mallory, a 2013 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a member of their women’s basketball team, played AAU basketball for years.
“My parents spent thousands per year on fees, hotels and flights, but it was definitely worth it,” Mallory said. “It helped me advance with going to tournaments that had college coaches there to scout.”
Mallory is one of a very small percentage to be recruited by a Division I school and then went on to play in an NCAA championship game her senior year.
According to the NCAA, of the nearly eight-million students involved in high school sports, only about 460,000 will play at NCAA colleges.
In girl’s basketball, there are currently 433,344 girls playing in high school. Only 3.8 percent will have the chance to play at the college level. In boys soccer, there are currently 417,419 participating in high school. Only 5.7 percent will go on to play in college.
Cabrini has club sports for cheerleading, dance team, men’s lacrosse and men’s roller hockey. There is no scholarship money and these are not NCAA sports. Clubs provide opportunities for those who enjoy playing sports at a less competitive level.
Senior exercise science major, Nick Giusti, plays club roller hockey. “We pay $100 in dues and $70 for a jersey that we get to keep,” Giusti said. “The money pays for rink fees and referees. I think the fees are worth it because we are a close team and it’s a great experience.”
Freshman Chris Fonte plays on Cabrini’s men’s club lacrosse team. “We pay $80 and don’t get to keep a jersey. We pay for all the equipment and since we play on Cabrini’s field, some of the money goes to keeping the field in good shape,” Fonte said. “I am not sure if it is worth it because we didn’t have any home games.” Club sports at Cabrini do not cost as much as club sports before college, but they may result in some similar rewards, friendship and fun.
Playing club and travel-level sports cost a lot of money, but they may give leadership, sportsmanship and gives young people the opportunity to meet people outside of their regular social setting.
According to Mallory, with only a chosen few receiving scholarships for college, parents really have to decide if this expense is worth the rewards.
Cabrini Club Sports:
Cheerleading
Dance Team
Men’s Lacrosse
Roller Hockey
Men’s Basketball
To get a club sport started contact
Orlin Jespersen(ojj722@cabrini.edu)
