I love being a soccer mom. I’m lucky that all three of my daughters are into the sport — one I never played as a kid — and that the league we belong to is just five minutes away. My husband coaches our girls’ teams, we’ve built a community within our league, and there are few things better than sprawling out a blanket on a sunny April morning to watch my girls do work on the field. But being a soccer mom is not exactly cheap. And depending on where you live, what level of soccer your kids are playing at, and how much you want to invest in your child’s love of the sport, the cost of being a soccer mom can be a little shocking.
Without sounding too much like a grumpy boomer, the days of $65 sports registrations (including uniforms) are long gone. I hear from parents whose kids are involved in other sports that there are hardly any communal supplies either. No shared helmets at baseball or pads at football. Sports are just expensive. But they are incredibly beneficial to our kids and our whole family, so we’ll always find a way to make it work.
We’re lucky our league still feels a bit like a ‘90s recreational sports league. This isn’t a soccer league with tournaments every week or travel fees. We play on the same field every Saturday, and we play against our own club teams every time. There’s no fuss, no overbearing coaches, no rigorous schedules — just our girls, their daddy coaching, and a soccer ball.
So, here’s what we spend as a soccer family with three daughters (ages 10, 6, and 2) in the Metro Atlanta suburbs.
Registration fees: $335
It’s a lot, but this covers all three of our kids. Broken down, our 10-year-old’s soccer program is $135, and then we get a sibling discount for her 6-year-old sister at $105, and then their 2-year-old sister is in a toddler version of soccer for $95. These prices don’t include any of the gear or uniforms needed, but the $95 registration fee for our toddler does include a cotton practice shirt with the league’s logo on the front.
Depending on the ages, practices can be once or twice a week, with a game on Saturday. For us, that looks like one practice per week for our 6-year-old, two practices per week for our 10-year-old, two soccer games on Saturdays, and one soccer practice/clinic for the 2-year-old on Sundays.
The season usually lasts around 12 weeks for both spring and fall, give or take a few extra weeks of practices if there’s a school break that affects the game schedule, make-up games, etc.
Uniform: $178
You have to buy the jerseys separately in our league, and you have to buy two — one in purple (the home jersey) and one in gray (the away jersey). The good news is? These babies last forever. We only recently bought new sets for the girls, and because they don’t have their names on the back (just a number), we can pass them down to each other as they size up. $178 includes $65 for each set of jerseys (the toddler doesn’t need a jersey yet), two pairs of $12 soccer shorts, and two pairs of $12 black soccer socks (which also last a few seasons).
Soccer Gear: $205
Luckily, soccer isn’t one of these sports that requires your kid to carry half of Dick’s Sporting Goods onto the field for every practice or game. Our girls need cleats and shinguards to play. Cleats are usually about $35 per pair, and shinguards are around $27 for our two older girls. These last a long time, so it’s not like you have to get new shinguards every season. Unfortunately, someone does end up needing new cleats each season as their feet grow like weeds. We also make sure each year to buy a long-sleeve undershirt for each of the girls in case it’s cold out and they don’t want a jacket covering their jersey. These cost about $18 for all three girls.
In addition to the gear, we buy soccer balls for all three of our girls, which comes out to about $48, and then we invest in new hair ties and headbands (roughly $12) to keep all the flyaways and errant hairs out of their faces. When it comes to water bottles, there are tons of fancy ones out there, but we love the huge, old-school Igloo cooler jugs in their team colors. And for just $10 each, that’s only $30 on water bottles that will last decades. They stay cold, the kids stay hydrated, and even Coach Dad can sneak a sip or two when he inevitably forgets his own.
Game Day Necessities: $105
Then there’s the really fun part of being a soccer mom: Game Day. With three girls, these days start early for me as I make sure everything’s washed and ready to go, the snacks are in the cooler, the water bottles are packed, etc. But that also means buying a few things beforehand to keep our soccer weekends rocking and rolling.
At least once per season, we’ll be in charge of snacks and drinks after the game. This usually means spending about $12 on a pack of sports drinks or juices and about $12 on one of those big variety boxes of chips. We always stock up on sunscreen and bug spray, which come in at around $20 for both. It’s not an every-season-buy, but investing in a good canvas chair and/or blanket is always a plus. Because I’m still in the era of chasing my 2-year-old during her big sisters’ games, I opt for a great, waterproof outdoor blanket to sit on that’s nice and oversized for around $35.
And while it’s not a necessity, one thing I do genuinely love about being a soccer mom is cheering on my kids — so, I have my own “soccer mom era” shirts to wear every Game Day, in a sweatshirt and a short-sleeved tee. I bought them years ago, and they still look great (especially considering they only cost me $26).
Total Soccer Mom Cost: $823
I know that sounds like a lot, but considering many of these costs can roll over from season to season, it’s really not as scary as it sounds. The registration fee will always be the biggest hunk, and there are ways to ask for scholarships and financial assistance depending on your league. If you’re a soccer mom looking to save some money, you can also reach out to local mom groups in your area or even the soccer league itself to see if anyone is willing to sell soccer jerseys or gear (like shinguards) their kids have outgrown.
But truly, I love nothing more than my family of five heading down to the soccer fields on an early Saturday morning. It’s just one of my favorite things we all do together, and that is definitely priceless.
