Team Budget - Yes, you'll need one

I've been involved as a coach the last two summers with kids U4 & U5 soccer and there was not even a hint of anyone mentioning a team budget.  The most that happened with soccer was each week a player's parents would take turns bringing a snack for the kids at the end of practice.  Typically we seen a large plastic container placed on the bench filled with sliced watermelon.  Sometimes 'jumbo freezies' or a Popsicle would be offered as well. 

But then you have minor hockey, well, that's a different story. 

Team 'swag' -  Hoodie's w/ Player No.

For an IP Hockey Team (kids aged 4-6 years old) in Ontario you'll need a team budget of about $1500.  Each team and each association will be different, obviously, but here's a good idea of the kinds of things that are typically expected ~ (roughly speaking):

• 2-3 Tournaments/Fun Days ($20/player)
• Name Bars ($8/player)
• Christmas Pizza Party ($8/player)
• Year end party/banquet with trophy ($25/player)
• Some kind of souvenir (e.g. toque with team name & number $10/player)

Plus there are extra things like, typically a coach has to purchase his/her own pylons.  I did not have the team pay for these because I figured I would keep them at the end of the season, as I plan to continue coaching.  Just for your own knowledge though, these 6 inch weighted cones are about $6/each at a sporting goods store and you'll need at least 10 of them for sure.  I found the weighted ones best as kids this age are constantly bumping into the cones during drills and these are much harder to knock over. 

This year we were extremely lucky, we managed to get 5 different sponsors to help with the expenses.  It's so great to see companies get involved with helping young kids participate in sports.

• http://soundgardenlandscape.com/
• http://kenritchiecontracting.com/
• http://www.jojospizza.ca/
• http://amberwoodchiropractic.com/
• http://google.ca/ 

I've asked the parents of our team to at least include these sponsors in any purchasing decisions they may make in these particular areas.  This seemed to be a reasonable ask that received a lot of accepting nods around the room.

I hope this helps you with your team budgets.

Good Luck!

Coach Chris