Participation Numbers Declining?

[jBlaze3000]

With tryouts just around the corner most associations have a good handle on what their participation numbers are going to be this year. In my association, there was a fairly big effort to attracted new kids and families to hockey but at our annual traveling meeting last night they said that numbers were down across the board.

Just wondering if other associations are experiencing the same thing as a result of the weak economy or if there are other reasons for the decline.

[Shinbone_News]

With tryouts just around the corner most associations have a good handle on what their participation numbers are going to be this year. In my association, there was a fairly big effort to attracted new kids and families to hockey but at our annual traveling meeting last night they said that numbers were down across the board.

Just wondering if other associations are experiencing the same thing as a result of the weak economy or if there are other reasons for the decline.

At our district meeting this month, there was a lot of commentary about this. Many associations are seeing as much as 20% decline in registration. This seems to be happening at the B and C levels, but also in Bantams in a big way (maybe many are opting up to high school JV?)

Anecdotally, we're hearing "if my kid isn't super excited about hockey this year, I'm not writing a check for $1000+."

[jBlaze3000]

With tryouts just around the corner most associations have a good handle on what their participation numbers are going to be this year. In my association, there was a fairly big effort to attracted new kids and families to hockey but at our annual traveling meeting last night they said that numbers were down across the board.

Just wondering if other associations are experiencing the same thing as a result of the weak economy or if there are other reasons for the decline.

At our district meeting this month, there was a lot of commentary about this. Many associations are seeing as much as 20% decline in registration. This seems to be happening at the B and C levels, but also in Bantams in a big way (maybe many are opting up to high school JV?)

Anecdotally, we're hearing "if my kid isn't super excited about hockey this year, I'm not writing a check for $1000+."

Makes sense I guess but I'm surprised that this is the first year we've seen a signifcant decline. I would think that smart associations would be looking at ways to reduce costs at the Mite and Squirt level to try and retain the "depth" of their talent pool.

[Irish]

How do you feel about traveling?

I see our numbers declining too. Our PWA team will be traveling to Roseau and Alexandria. With majority of the competitive teams in the metro, why do associations feel the need to travel? Only adds to the cost. Not to mention our association is one of the more expensive associations. And No! We're not a strong association.

One year I added a tournament to our schedule. Half the parents wanted an over night tournament, and half wanted local tournament. I picked a tournament one hour away. Just close enough to drive back and forth and far enough to justify staying over night.

What do some people pay for their slush funds? We paid $600 for our slush fund last year.

[Shinbone_News]

Agreed. Our association is doing a lot of things to try to maintain registration while also planning for a budget shortfall this year: We're limiting the volunteer requirement for mite families to zero or near zero, holding the line on registration fees (while throwing in cost of jerseys, adding more games, dryland, etc.), and more. I think communities with strong programs in other cheaper sports, like basketball and football, are seeing some bleed at younger ages.

[Shinbone_News]

How do you feel about traveling?

I see our numbers declining too. Our PWA team will be traveling to Roseau and Alexandria. With majority of the competitive teams in the metro, why do associations feel the need to travel? Only adds to the cost. Not to mention our association is one of the more expensive associations. And No! We're not a strong association.

One year I added a tournament to our schedule. Half the parents wanted an over night tournament, and half wanted local tournament. I picked a tournament one hour away. Just close enough to drive back and forth and far enough to justify staying over night.

What do some people pay for their slush funds? We paid $600 for our slush fund last year.

$600 per player???? Yow! Ours are more like $150, and that's more than enough to cover pizza and say one additional tournament. I guess it depends on what your association fees cover. Ours are on the high side but cover virtually everything.

Traveling is a HUGE underappreciated extra cost. It's like most associations just assume the well is bottomless. Personally, I like ONE overnight tournament for the younger kids. They have a great time, and it really builds team spirit -- but at $300 to $400 additional cost for hotel rooms, gas, food, etc -- it's a lot to ask of parents in this economy. The fun parts of the game sometimes blind us to the cost -- I for one am a "blue collar" hockey parent who grew up that way too, and I'll spend more than I can justify on hockey because it's in the blood and because I'm stupid.

[Edgeless]

$600 per player???? Yow! Ours are more like $150, and that's more than enough to cover pizza and say one additional tournament. I guess it depends on what your association fees cover. Ours are on the high side but cover virtually everything.

Traveling is a HUGE underappreciated extra cost. It's like most associations just assume the well is bottomless. Personally, I like ONE overnight tournament for the younger kids. They have a great time, and it really builds team spirit -- but at $300 to $400 additional cost for hotel rooms, gas, food, etc -- it's a lot to ask of parents in this economy. The fun parts of the game sometimes blind us to the cost -- I for one am a "blue collar" hockey parent who grew up that way too, and I'll spend more than I can justify on hockey because it's in the blood and because I'm stupid.[/quote]

Couldn't agree more

[jBlaze3000]

The fun parts of the game sometimes blind us to the cost -- I for one am a "blue collar" hockey parent who grew up that way too, and I'll spend more than I can justify on hockey because it's in the blood and because I'm stupid.

Ha....nice post.

[InigoMontoya]

Interesting.

A number of threads during the summertime regarding too many kids watering down AAA hockey.
Now the threads start regarding association hockey losing up to 20% of their kids.

More kids wanting to spend more time and money on summer hockey.
Fewer kids wanting to spend time and money on winter hockey, despite efforts to reduce time and money spent.

Interesting.

[sorno82]

Both could be true. Kids could be leaving the sport if they do not play year round just to keep up. THose who want to play year round are joining AAA teams of all levels of quality, whereas those who just want to play in the winter fall too far behind and do not do as well in tryouts.

Playing year round triples the cost of hockey, which may price too many people out of it. ADM in theory is supposed to keep costs down while developing kids in different ways.

Just a theory. But could explain why kids are dropping out.

[NE14HKY]

Our association is down about 75 kids (traveling),
this year. We are normally around 400 kids, so not
enormously big of an association.

[Ugottobekiddingme]

Interesting.

A number of threads during the summertime regarding too many kids watering down AAA hockey.
Now the threads start regarding association hockey losing up to 20% of their kids.

More kids wanting to spend more time and money on summer hockey.
Fewer kids wanting to spend time and money on winter hockey, despite efforts to reduce time and money spent.

Interesting.

Very Interesting... and one should ask what exactly is a watered down sport event towards youth athletic development...and who/what is drowning the sports advancement. Is it time, money, community, or commitment that clouds advancement or another uncontrolled factor that manages a reduction in participation?

[jBlaze3000]

Interesting.

A number of threads during the summertime regarding too many kids watering down AAA hockey.
Now the threads start regarding association hockey losing up to 20% of their kids.

More kids wanting to spend more time and money on summer hockey.
Fewer kids wanting to spend time and money on winter hockey, despite efforts to reduce time and money spent.

Interesting.

So do you really think that the kids that are dropping out of association hockey are playing AAA in the summer? I doubt it. What percentage of kids that play AAA in Minnesota also play for their association team in the winter? I would be surprised if it wasn't close to 100%.

Far more kids play association hockey than AAA. AAA is growing because it is the latest trend that's been sold to parents who want to see their kids excel. The kids that play AAA are not the ones who are leaving the sport.

[GreekChurch]

Blaze hit it right on the head, it is not the A or even B level kids that are quiting hockey, it is the B2 and C kids that don't do much if anything in the off season that are leaving the sport. Due to the cost/time commitment during the economic times we live in, the parents just can't justify it. The players that are " watering down " the AAA teams during the off season, are the lower level A, and upper B players. They are still playing, and will continue to do so. IMHO

[InigoMontoya]

Blaze, never thought of that.

Greek, I'm not sure I understand the logic.
The A & B kids are not quitting.
The B2 and C kids are quitting due to cost and time.
Are the A & B kids not spending as much time and money, or do they have more of it to begin with?

[GreekChurch]

Blaze, never thought of that.

Greek, I'm not sure I understand the logic.
The A & B kids are not quitting.
The B2 and C kids are quitting due to cost and time.
Are the A & B kids not spending as much time and money, or do they have more of it to begin with?

Inigo, in my opinion, the A, and B kids are not quiting, and are spending more time, and money ( as they play close to year round ) than the B2 or C kids. I don't think the A & B parents have either, more time , or money in general, but invest more of both into the game of hockey, of course there are exceptions. In talking to people from different associations, the loss of kids is not from their higher level teams, it's from the B2, C levels, plus overall squirt, and mite numbers are down.

[JSR]

Our association is down about 75 kids (traveling),
this year. We are normally around 400 kids, so not
enormously big of an association.

WOW.... I am always impressed by how many kids play hockey in MN. Our association down here in southern Wisconsin is only three years old so we are still growing. But we were thrilled to see that at our initial registration on September 11th we had had a total of 124 kids (that includes cross ice, U8, Squirt, Pee Wee, and Bantam) plus we'll probably have another 75 kids in our "free" Learn to Play program. And we were quite excited about those numbers. I can't fathom having 400 and calling "not very big"

P.S. Our 124 is about a 20% increase over last years numbers. As I said we are in growth mode being new. So our goal is to try and have 75 kids in our free LTP program every year, from that the goal is to retain 50% into the cross ice program and from that we estimate that 70% of those will make it all the way through to bantams.

[Benito Juarez]

Participation numbers will continue to decline.

Soon only children of the most wealthy Americans will play...Youth Hockey will be considered the Polo of youth sporting events.

[InigoMontoya]

Let's be honest, the winter olympics are a cornucopia of bourgeoisie events. The capital cost barrier for skating, skiing, and sliding is too high for the proletariat class. In other words: our poor suck on ice.

[old goalie85]

FL has over a 100 in our new intro to mites program!!!! most ever by far. Have lost some @ bantams. [that seems to happen at that age.]

[BadgerBob82]

I think youth sports enrollments are declining because of specialization. How many AAA spring/summer/fall hockey players play baseball, soccer or football?

[C-dad]

I heard tonight Edina has 129 skaters registered for bantam tryouts. Not bad until you realize this same group of kids had 175 skaters two years ago for peewees, a 26% drop. Some may be going directly to C teams and not trying out, but I don't think there is a large number doing that.

[Shinbone_News]

I heard tonight Edina has 129 skaters registered for bantam tryouts. Not bad until you realize this same group of kids had 175 skaters two years ago for peewees, a 26% drop. Some may be going directly to C teams and not trying out, but I don't think there is a large number doing that.

I wonder if some of them are waiving out to other open-enrollment schools to play JV or even varsity??? Or bantams at an association that feeds into a high school with better odds?

Maybe some Edina parents are using the economy to "get real" about their kid's chances at a slot on the high school roster?

Love to hear someone from Edina chime in on this.

[goaliewithfoggedglasses]

I heard tonight Edina has 129 skaters registered for bantam tryouts. Not bad until you realize this same group of kids had 175 skaters two years ago for peewees, a 26% drop. Some may be going directly to C teams and not trying out, but I don't think there is a large number doing that.

135 total for bantams. Numbers are down across the board, approximately 1100 vs 1400 last year all though mite registration is still open for a couple of weeks. That's probably only another 50 or so.

I wonder if some of them are waiving out to other open-enrollment schools to play JV or even varsity??? Or bantams at an association that feeds into a high school with better odds?

Maybe some Edina parents are using the economy to "get real" about their kid's chances at a slot on the high school roster?

Love to hear someone from Edina chime in on this.

Nobody open enrolls out of Edina schools. They might choose to go to a private school but not another public. Some of it is just demographics and some is the economy IMO.

[57special]

I think there is an increased demand on athletically talented kids to specialize year round on one sport. By the time they are 12 years old it can get to be quite the tug of war between (in our case) hockey, soccer, and baseball. I wonder if some kids are being forced out of hockey because they simply don't have time to play all of them (let alone the cash),whereas in the past all two, three, or four sports were played in their appropriate seasons.

I would guess that the total amount of money spent per year on hockey training and fees might be going up in total, or in other words more money per player is being spent than ever before.