What does it really cost to play hockey?

Hockey sometimes gets a reputation for being too expensive.  Many stories published on the subject are based on the highest levels of hockey in larger centres like Toronto.

Hockey is definitely not inexpensive but it compares well with most other sports.


What does the base cost of hockey include?

Ice  - pre-season warm up ice times, evaluations, practices, games, provincial playoffs, league playoffs

Referees & Referee Development - referee honorariums for games officiated, referee training, referee clinics, supervisions and mentorships

Player Development - U15 checking camps, Zone Power Skating and Goaltender sessions, SMHA Coach Mentorship Program & other association development initiatives

Coach Development - SMHA Coach Mentorship program, coaching clinics and coach certification

Off-Ice Hockey expenses - pre-season evaluation expenses, trophies and medals, game sheets, special events

General and Administration - MHA staff salaries, accounting and audit fees, website management fees, general office operational costs, mandatory government and regulatory fees and costs

Equipment - tryout jerseys, game jerseys and socks, goalie equipment for younger ages, cleaning and sanitizing of equipment, coach supplies, small nets, bumpers for U7, portable board systems for U9, storage rent costs

League Fees - SMHA, Saskatchewan Hockey and Hockey Canada participant fees including Hockey Canada participant insurance



What is not included in the base cost of hockey?

Player Equipment - hockey is a sport that requires full body protection - more than most sports.  Once established, players tend to outgrow pieces of equipment in a staggered fashion.  Parents should expect to spend between $100 to $500 on equipment each season, depending on what requires replacing.

Team Fees - teams generally begin the season asking parents for some start up funds from each family to cover incremental team expenses.  These expenses include ice costs for additional practices and exhibition games, tournament entry fees, hiring of specialized development coaches to assist with power skating or goaltending, team wind up costs, team clothing if team elects to purchase clothing for players.  Teams may also wish to fundraise to reimburse the cash outlay of the parents.

Travel and Accommodation if team attends out of town tournaments - if teams choose to travel outside of Saskatoon for a multi-day tournament, parents will be required to pay for their own travel and accommodations expenses.

Note: some ages and levels of minor hockey will spend very little on additional costs



What is Saskatoon Minor Hockey doing to assist in keeping costs low or to assist our families?

Financial assistance for registration fees - SMHA works closely with funding agencies such as KidSport, Jumpstart, the Hockey Canada Foundation and other funding agencies to help families receive funding to assist with registration fees. SMHA also has community donors that provide anonymous player assistance funding to assist olayers in need.

Financial assistance for Team Fees and Equipment - SMHA operates its own Memorial Cup Legacy Fund - designed to assist our families with the cost of team fees and/or assisting families to pay for hockey equipment for their children.

Tournament Maximums - SMHA restricts all teams to a maximum of five tournaments per season to keep the cost of hockey down.

Game Maximums - game maximums for the season exist in the U11, U9 and U7 age groups.

What makes up the cost of my player's registraiton fees?