18/09/2023
Below is a email I have sent to the Victorian Sports minister, regards the ridiculous cost of junior sports uniforms.
Please share if this applies to your child / junior sporting team.
Dean Ros,
I'm writing this to you on behalf of thousands of parents and clubs.
For quite a few years now Junior sport has entered the professional business system of Licensing. Which I understand is to generate income for the Leagues,
But it's at the ridiculous cost of junior parents who get little in return.
These leagues were run fine for decades without these expenses.
Yes I have a sportswear business that supplies clubs. But over the last decade we have the big Brands out there throwing money at leagues to have full control and a monopoly of the sales.
They then can charge what they like.
An example is Netball. All the girls have to wear 1 brand of socks. Which are around $15, prior the parent could buy a plain sock for $1-2. Or a club could have their own design and sell them to their players. For much less.
A netball dress that we can supply to a club for $39 is forced to wear a certain around $70 ,
Then 2 years passes, the sponsors change and they are forced to buy new ones again.
It's just insane.
You have single parents trying to get their children into sports only to have these Leagues grabbing Dollars from suppliers and the parents. Every item sold a % goes back to the League on top of their license fee.
Only a few benefit from it while the majority pay for it.
It's completely wrong and not what junior sport should be about.
I have even offered in the past to sponsor teams that my own children played in to donate uniforms only to be told they are not allowed to wear them . I find this just crazy.
Junior sport should not be a business, It should be about getting kids out there having fun.
We have junior football leagues out there fining clubs because a player has the wrong item on. I understand we need to have standards, But it's gone way too far.
I, along with many others, want to see junior sports cut costs. They want this stopped.
This is one of their biggest expenses now.
Another example is junior football
Jersey $40 socks $7 Shorts $20 is roughly what clubs could buy for.
But the Leagues force parents to pay
Jersey $80 socks $15-20 shorts $35-40
Another scenario is clubs are given Grants by your Govt to buy uniforms and then that Taxpayers money is spent on uniforms that cost double to what they really are.
This is not what we want our taxes going .
It's being totally wasted and profited by a few.
All clubs should be able to find the best supplier for them or let parents buy from where they like.
If they can find an Item at Kmart or wherever that suits their needs they should be able to buy it. As it was for decades.
They should be able to support their local suppliers too.
No matter where they are in the state.
It goes on with many food products in their canteen too.
I ask you please to look into this asap.
Before it gets to a point where kids are forced to give sports away.
I know I have plenty of support on this as I deal directly with the Club Committees that also face other issues with this situation too. Like forced to wait months for supplies and then can't go elsewhere to get them.
We plan to take this on until it stops. We have ex well known sporting greats willing to speak up about this to the media. Everyone is sick of it.
Basketball and Soccer don't have it so far. It seems It started with AFL and Now Netball which the AFL have a big investment in now. VCFL.
Best Wishes
Steve Edwards
