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A volleyball season costs $11,500
The weekend bill
Three nights in a hotel plus airfare or gas put a mother and daughter at a bare minimum of $1,000, and bringing a sibling or spouse raises the travel to about $1,500. The $950 team fee, split among 10 girls, comes to only $95 each.
Outside food and drink are prohibited, so the options are $12 chicken sandwiches, $10 slices of pizza, and $16 acai bowls. A tournament hoodie costs $50. A parent who wants to watch pays a $27.50 entry fee plus processing or $65.40 for a three-day pass, and family back home pays $44.85 for the entry-level stream subscription.
What dues cover
Coaches are put up in a hotel and given a travel stipend, and families cover that too, through club dues of roughly $2,500 to $7,000. Dues also pay for gym rental and the club's insurance, and they tend to be opaque: parents are told the total without knowing exactly where the money goes.
Four tournaments at about $2,000 each plus $3,500 in dues comes to $11,500 for one season. A player who starts at 12 and plays through age 18 faces six more seasons at that price.
Why do tournaments ban outside food?
Convention centers and arenas commonly sign exclusive contracts with a single catering company. Food and beverage sales are one of the largest income streams for many of these buildings, and the contract usually depends on the caterer being the only seller. Banning outside food protects that arrangement. Venues often keep a share of every concession sale made on their premises.
Why are club dues so hard to itemize?
Most youth clubs are independent organizations with no obligation to publish a detailed budget. Clubs organized as tax-exempt nonprofits in the US must file an annual Form 990 with the IRS, which is public, but it reports totals by category rather than per-team costs. Very small organizations may file only a short electronic postcard that lists little more than their name and address.
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