Hoops

Scorers and entrance fee

Unfortunately, things cost money if we expect a certain standard. I don't mind paying the entrance fee and don't mind paying taxes, provided they are spent wisely!
IMO The same people who complain about entrance fees are generally the first to complain about the standard of stadiums. It's the same with roads and taxes. The first who complain about the condition of roads are those who don't like paying taxes.

Not Good at maths.

You should also take the petrol costs of 2 trainings every week.
Also, a few people I know go home, and then return to pick up again, that doubles the cost.
Alterntively sharing transport costs do help, where one picks up and someone else drops off.

Also the cost to get from home to the various stadiums for the games.

One also needs to look at the cost of the summer season, which for some of us includes another trip to Melbourne.

So I think the annual cost is a lot more [Add the odd speeding fine to victoria] getting the players to the stadium on time

Yes, we do do get an enourmous amount of entertainment from the game. As much as I complain, I would not want my son to give it up at all.

Dicko,

I just want to clarify one thing.

I was making the comment not for myself.
I video most my son's games, so i am not sitting down doing nothing, and his mother does the scoring. We do our required commitment.

I do feel for those people who score, there should be some sort of relief.

Last year, I estimated that we spent over $3,000 on basketball related expenses including 2 trips to Melbourne.
Giving that is paid out of after tax earning, one has to earn about $5,000 just to pay for one basketball player.

So, I do believe that commitment to basketball is at a price, and it will become more costly as the price of fuel goes up.

Maybe the way I wrote the thread you did not like, but really basketball is going to become a more of an elite sport because the average person on the street will not be able to afford the full commitment that is required to be a district basketballer.

No, not really.

Agreed lockstock. I know I struggle to pay my kids fees for their sporting commitments, petrol, uniforms, drinks etc. plus still have ten bucks spare for my game on a Tuesday!

Stop whinging Scored Out.

Imagine if all the parents had the same attitude as you.

Complaining about $4.50 per week per adult spectator.
You get to see good quality junior basketball. many games I have seen has been a lot more exciting and entertaining than our 36ers side.

Nothing in life is free, so move on.

Ps. I think you have a lot of catching up to do on the score bench.

[BLOCKQUOTE]Do spectators pay when watching juniors in other sports (e.g., football, soccer, etc)?[/BLOCKQUOTE]Yes and no. When my son played soccer, we paid a weekly "referee fee", because it was the home team's responsibility to supply a ref and pay them (and not in that way!). If my son had kept playing, we'd have to supply a linesman, sorry "referee's assistant", as well in older age groups, but that was usually a volunteer from the parents from what I've heard. The home team also had to provide a steward to keep the spectators a safe distance from the touchline. So rather than having to pay entrance fees to pay for BSA supplied refs, and volunteering on the scorebench, soccer parents pay "ref fees" for thie own refs and take turns volunteering as ref's assistant or steward. Not exactly the same thing, but there is a similarity, I think.

Dicko, looking at all your threads and replies, you must live a very exciting life. Good for you using your name, and not using an anon.

I do not want to make this personal, but yes I am not as supportive of my sons basketball as some, but I do think it a great shame that some people take turns to see their kids play because of the cost.

That just shows that their is something drastically wrong with our sport.

Look at the price of petrol and look at Southern Tigers playing at Gawler or Mavericks playing at Port Adelaide. The junior game is going to be under more threat as things get tighter financially.

And by the way the cost to get inas a spectator is $4.50 and not a couple of dollars.
You obviously have not paid to get into a game for a long time.

I'm not aware of any other sport that charges for spectators. My son plays footy in addition to basketball and for footy we pay $5 which covers the umpires' costs, insurance and a contribution to an intra-club function. Also, if you go to an interstate carnival in Melbourne you'll have to pay a one-off fee ($10 pp if I recall correctly) to see the kids games. From a parent's perspective basketball is relatively expensive and you can multiply that based on the number of kids you have.

I've been watching this site since it opened and it always amazes me how everything that's said on here gets taken personally by someone.

A lot of things on here are in fact personal, one post in particular went WAY too far in my opinion. But apart from that most of what's been said in here is boosting about someone's club/team or shooting down someone elses. People toughen up. Very few (maybe just 1 or 2) posts have been directed at people personally most are to discuss topics. Obviously some topics involve certain people (say the letter at Port signed off by Travis C.) but people discussing the issue aren't haven't a direct go at him, just at what has been done.

Posts about ABL players, about local clubs, about local basketball identities, even the junior competition are fine as long as they're not personal attacks. There's always going to be differing opinions but let's not let that become personal and get in the way of a good discussion.

This site has become the best SA basketball site but because of that there are going to be more and more differing opinions too. Let's not get nasty or attack people about their posts, see it for what it is. A Forum for Discussion!