Cost Emerges as Top Reason Families Consider Leaving Youth Sports

The rising cost of participation has become the leading reason parents consider pulling their children from organized sports, surpassing concerns about injuries and whether kids enjoy playing, according to new research commissioned by Good Sports.

In the 2026 Good Sports Cost of Play Index, 26% of parents whose children have played sports said unsustainable participation costs were a major reason they had seriously considered withdrawing a child. That ranked ahead of injuries (24%) and lack of enjoyment (23%). The national Harris Poll survey included 574 U.S. parents of children under 18. 

The finding should resonate across youth soccer, where families frequently face registration fees, uniforms, equipment, coaching, tournament travel and private-club expenses. While the study does not break out soccer separately, its findings point to the same financial pressures that increasingly shape whether young players can enter—and remain in—the sport. 

More than three in five parents of current youth athletes said required equipment is a financial burden, while 53% worry they may not be able to enroll their child in sports next year because of rising costs. Nearly eight in 10 parents said the growth of private clubs and travel teams is pricing children out, and 67% said affordable or school-based options have declined during the past five years. 

The survey also found that 68% of parents have seriously considered removing a child from sports. Youth participation slipped from 84% of parents reporting a child currently played sports in Good Sports’ 2024 research to 80% in the 2026 survey.