Parents can face wide price gaps for children’s sports

Parents can pay tens of thousands of Icelandic krónur more per year for children’s handball or basketball depending on the club, mbl.is reports. A comparison by ASÍ shows fees exceeding 175,000 krónur for handball and 180,000 krónur for basketball, while municipal leisure grants reduce the cost by varying amounts depending on the club and where the family lives.

ASÍ compiled the published training fees for children’s handball and basketball clubs across Iceland, focusing on three age groups: six to seven, 10 to 11, and 14 to 15.

The comparison found substantial differences between both clubs and municipalities. Fees are generally higher for older children, but prices also vary considerably among children of the same age.

In handball, Þór in Akureyri had the lowest fee in all three age groups examined, followed by KA. For children aged six to seven, Þór charged 69,000 krónur, compared with 112,500 krónur at Fram, a difference of 43,500 krónur per year.

For children aged 10 to 11, Þór charged 85,000 krónur, while Fram had the highest fee at 161,650 krónur. The difference was 76,650 krónur.

Among 14- to 15-year-olds, Þór had the lowest fee at 105,000 krónur. Fjölnir had the highest at 176,060 krónur, closely followed by HK at 175,000 krónur. Þór and KA stood out at the lower end, with fees of 105,000 and 112,000 krónur respectively, while most other clubs in the comparison charged more than 145,000 krónur.

There were also significant differences between clubs in Reykjavík. For 10- to 11-year-olds, handball cost 105,000 krónur at Fylkir and 161,650 krónur at Fram. Among 14- to 15-year-olds, Víkingur had the lowest fee among Reykjavík clubs at 149,000 krónur, while Fjölnir had the highest at 176,060 krónur. For six- to seven-year-olds, fees ranged from 83,000 krónur at Fylkir to 112,500 krónur at Fram.

Basketball fees also varied widely. Some clubs publish only autumn fees, so ASÍ doubled those amounts to estimate the cost for a full year. The figures are estimates rather than annual fees published by the clubs. The number of training sessions and what is included in the fees may also differ.

For six- to seven-year-olds, the lowest estimated fee was about 53,000 krónur at UMF Hekla, based on twice the autumn fee. The highest published annual fee was 110,969 krónur at Stjarnan.

For children aged 10 to 11, Hekla’s estimated full-year cost was 51,000 krónur. Among clubs publishing an annual fee, Selfoss charged 106,000 krónur and Haukar 130,000 krónur.

For 14- to 15-year-olds, Hamar had the lowest published annual fee at 97,000 krónur, while Stjarnan had the highest at 182,187 krónur. The difference was 85,187 krónur per year.