Is all this investment in youth sports truly helping our kids?
Volleyball Changed My Life.
By Zeynep Ton
Volleyball changed my life. A scholarship from Penn State brought me to the U.S., shaping my future in ways I never imagined. Naturally, I was thrilled when my daughter wanted to follow in my footsteps and joined a club team. But as I stepped back into the world of youth volleyball—this time as a parent—I saw a different reality. Club sports are no longer just about the game; her tournaments exposed me to the sheer size of the business of club sports. And the question every parent must ask is: Is all this investment—financial and emotional—truly helping our kids?
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The Investment of Youth Club Sports
Enrolling a child in competitive youth sports isn’t just a commitment; it’s a significant financial and time investment. A recent Harris Poll of over 700 U.S. parents found that among those with kids in sports, 23% took on extra work to cover costs, and 18% went into debt. Volleyball is no exception—annual club fees often exceed $5,000, and that’s before travel, gear, and tournament expenses.
Parents make this investment for various reasons. Some families can afford it and see the value in sports—physical fitness, mental resilience, teamwork, leadership, and social development. For others, especially parents of an only child, tournaments may be a fun bonding experience. But many parents justify these costs as an investment in a future college scholarship or to increase their child’s chances of getting into a better school. Yet the numbers speak for themselves: According to the NCSA, fewer than 2% of high school girls’ volleyball players will compete at the NCAA Division 1 level and only 5.9% will play overall on a college team.
For the vast majority, club volleyball should be about skill-building, teamwork, leadership, and love for the game—not just a pathway to college. If the goal is true development, then clubs should consider reducing the number of travel tournaments, not adding to them.
Tournament Overload: Less Can Be More
Between December and June, my daughter’s 13s team will play in nine tournaments—only one in Boston. The rest require hotel stays, and five require flights. Beyond the thousands spent on club fees, the travel costs and time away from home add up.
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For families with multiple kids, a parent being gone eight weekends a season can be disruptive. If both parents work, taking Fridays off for travel affects job responsibilities. And for the athletes? The constant fatigue from flight delays and marathon tournament days can take a toll on their sleep, schoolwork, and love for the sport.
There are benefits to competing against strong teams across the country, but does that require eight out-of-state tournaments? Reducing “fly” tournaments to two or three would eliminate unnecessary costs and fatigue while still allowing teams to compete at a high level.
In operations management, we call this “waste”—activities that don’t add value. Excess travel doesn’t improve skill development. What young athletes truly need is more time on the court, refining fundamentals and building confidence. Games are exciting, but without strong skill work, they don’t create better players.
Final Thoughts
Many parents recognize these issues but feel trapped in the system. We want our kids to succeed, but we also want them to love the game. Overloaded schedules do the opposite—burning kids out, draining family resources, and making sports feel like an obligation rather than a passion.
It’s time for clubs to rethink their priorities. Smarter scheduling, less unnecessary travel, and more focus on true development can help volleyball return to what it should be: a sport that builds skills, character, and joy.
Zeynep Ton helps companies redesign low-wage and production jobs to improve business performance as well as quality of life for workers. A professor at MIT Sloan School of Management, she is the cofounder and president of the nonprofit Good Jobs Institute and the author of two books: The Good Jobs Strategy and The Case for Good Jobs.
