AAU costs (a random question/looking for help)

[UpAndUnder43]

This has very little to do with Gopher basketball but it involves AAU and guys who play AAU become Gophers and well, I needed to post this to see if anyone has insight.

My Dad's "little" for the last 8 years (Big Brother Big Sisters) is a 10th grader and plays JV basketball. He is pretty raw due to not having a lot of opportunity to play organized basketball. He is good, not great, but I think with the right amount of experience/coaching/etc. he could play a year or two of varsity. This keeps him in school (at risk kid) and gets him around new kids that will hopefully be a good influence for him. There is one larger AAU program (5 teams at his game) in his area (not metro) and I know the director from when I was growing up. I reached out to him to see what he thought and he sent me info regarding tryouts, fees, etc.

Here is the sticky part. The kid is a great kid and his mom tries very hard but has limited expendable income (single mom, 3 kids) so I was planning to foot most/all of the bill. Then I got the fees. Its over $1000. That doesn't include potential nights in a hotel, shoes, meals when at tournaments, etc. He is planning to work this summer but you can't expect him to cover $1000 + all the other stuff.

Does this price seem unreasonable? I haven't played travel/AAU in over 15 years so I have no idea. And do you think it would be tacky/worthwhile to reach out to the organization and see if there is a scholarship/discount available?

Sorry, like I said, this does not have anything to do with Gopher hoops. Barring a 7-9" growth spurt, this kid is not going to play for the maroon and gold. I just am asking since I'm sure there are plenty of other people on here with kids/nephews/grandsons/nieces/granddaughters playing AAU.

Thanks for any/all advice.

UandU43

 

[Gopherbbdude]

Seems a bit high. I'm not expert but I think you can find other "off" season programs that would be less expensive.

My son played for Swish until this year
https://www.hoopstraining.com/minnesota-swish.html

625.00 for the year

He is now a junior in HS and has decided not to pursue basketball as a player anymore. He is just finishing up coaching 2 middle school teams and wants to coach as an adult (proud Dad!!)

 

[A nonymous]

Seems about right for AAU. The costs associated with AAU basketball are high - practice time, uniforms, travel costs, and especially tournament fees are expensive

 

[disco]

$1000 is a drop in the bucket. With travel etc., some families pay upwards of $4000 a year. I just looked up an article where a ten year old's family was paying $5800 a year for the kid to play AAU.

Even more sick, is that you can find sites that rank the top hoops prospects nationally as young as third grade.

 

[Go Gophs]

It seems about right in line or even cheap. My daughter plays travel softball and their fees are quite a bit higher than that. Although, their program has games/tournies/offseason training year round.

Not tacky at all to look into scholarships. Most organizations have this and that is what they are there for. Used to run a community softball association and we gave them out all the time and were happy to help those that truly needed it. You're situation there sounds exactly like someone that would qualify as well.

 

[LakevilleBro]

$1,000 is just the beginning and there will be a lot of other costs to pay. Asking about scholarship money is a very good idea. I have paid a lot of AAU bills, so here are my 2 cents. Talk to multiple AAU teams and ask a lot of questions. You should ask where the team practices? You want to make it as close as possible to your home, or you will need to carpool with other teammates. Ask for their projected tournament schedule, they may play in MN or out of state tournaments, and that involves long drives and/or airfare. Don't worry about getting on a top team, pick a team that is easy on your schedule and pocket-book, and pick a team where he will play. Sometimes a local AAU team, that is not very competitive, and has minimal travel is the way to go. Good luck.

 

[Minnesconsin fan]

start your own team. If you play local metro tournaments they run about $275 apiece, get cheap reversible jerseys ($35 each), do the coaching yourself ($0 )- find a cheap practice gym ($300 for the season) - play 6 tourneys- get 10 kids -- that is pretty reasonable per person.
it is do-able.

 

[UpAndUnder43]

start your own team. If you play local metro tournaments they run about $275 apiece, get cheap reversible jerseys ($35 each), do the coaching yourself ($0 )- find a cheap practice gym ($300 for the season) - play 6 tourneys- get 10 kids -- that is pretty reasonable per person.
it is do-able.

I don’t have time to start a program and run a team. I work full time, have a kid on the way and am building a house.
I know there are cheaper options. I’m just trying to get one kid a chance to do something to hopefully better his life.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

That seems very reasonable to be honest. I have two kids playing club soccer & academy futsal, I imagine it's similar. Most clubs offer scholarships for club fees, which can be 75% depending on need & that can be broken down into payments.

It's the other stuff that'll get you. New uniforms, shoes, athletic tape, pre-wrap, knee braces, ice packs, tournament fees, gas, hotels, food while travelling & hitting the drive through on the way home from practices that end at 9pm.

We sent a group of boys to Spain last year. One of the boys needed extra help. He started a GoFundMe account and raised quite a bit of money for his trip. That's an idea as well. Maybe you could help him with the tournament fees, hotel, etc. while the club helps him with club fees & he launches a GoFundMe? I bet if you linked to it on GH, you'd raise a few bucks for him.

 

[WindyCityGopher]

I don’t have time to start a program and run a team. I work full time, have a kid on the way and am building a house.
I know there are cheaper options. I’m just trying to get one kid a chance to do something to hopefully better his life.

Start a GoFundMe among Gopher Holers. I bet this group would at least provide good seed money to help this young man better his life. I know I would.