When it comes to spending money on youth sports, Canada is number one.
Canada鈥檚 youth-sports economy, dominated by travel teams and national tournaments, expensive equipment and coaching, sports medicine and new smart-phone apps, has become a juggernaut $8.7 billion industry, according to , a Boston-area firm that tracks the industry.
WinterGreen provided the figures exclusively to CTV鈥檚 W5.
The Canadian youth-sports economy in 2018 grew from $7.2 billion in 2017 and up from $1.6 billion in 2010, WinterGreen said. The research firm expects the business to continue to grow in Canada for at least the next five years.
Susan Eustis, WinterGreen鈥檚 chief executive, said Canadians spend an average of $1,000 per child on youth sports every year, the most, per capita, in the world.
鈥淚t鈥檚 phenomenal,鈥� Eustis said in an interview with W5. 鈥淚 think in part it鈥檚 because hockey is so expensive. You have to build ice rinks and ice rinks cost money.鈥�
Eustis said the industry has exploded as tournament organizers and private schools and property developers have all seized on the dreams of young athletes and the financial wherewithal of their parents.
鈥淚t鈥檚 expensive, you know, to build a professional athlete,鈥� Eustis said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 as expensive as building a doctor or any other profession. You have raw skill which would be like intellect. But you have to nurture that and nurturing costs money.鈥�
Various sports federations and associations have warned that young athletes face the risk of burning out by specializing in a single sport at an early age.
While acknowledging that can be a problem, Eustis said it鈥檚 good for young athletes to learn to deal with pressure.
鈥淚 mean, children are pressured to learn all kinds of things,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e pressured to learn math, they鈥檙e pressured to learn everything, you know. Not to wear diapers鈥� I mean it鈥檚 pretty fundamental the ways you pressure your children. And when you get into the workforce, I mean you have a job, there鈥檚 pressure in a job. You need to learn to manage the pressure.鈥�
Yet for players and their families, the pressure is worth it.
For starters, some families say they spend more time together thanks to their children鈥檚 sports. And the long-term payoff for some is the prospect of a university scholarship. NCAA schools in the United States offer scholarships worth an estimated $3 billion per year.
Watch's W5's 'Family Plan' on CTV, Saturday at 7 p.m.
