More than half of Irish parents say they have decided not to enrol a child in a sport or activity because of cost, prompting Aviva Ireland and the FAI to launch a nationwide football boot recycling and swap initiative.

Four in five parents say the cost of children’s sport puts financial pressure on their household, while almost one third, 32 per cent, have cut back spending elsewhere to afford to keep their children active.

The research was conducted among 750 parents and guardians across Ireland and provides a timely reminder that increasing participation is about more than providing facilities and opportunities. Affordability is increasingly part of the equation.

Club membership and sports clothing and kit were each cited by 36 per cent of parents as major financial pressures, followed by footwear at 33 per cent, travel at 30 per cent and registration fees at 29 per cent.

Nearly one in five (17 per cent) said they had considered taking a child out of a sport because of rising costs.

ReBoot

Aviva has responded by launching ReBoot with Aviva, developed in partnership with the FAI.

Schools and football clubs around the country can register for the programme and will receive two ReBoot boxes, into which families can place clean, usable football boots their children have outgrown.

Other families can then take boots in the size they need free of charge.

Families can also nominate their own school or club to participate, with each participating organisation encouraged to appoint a local ReBoot Champion to manage the initiative.

Significant potential supply already sits in Irish homes.

Some 77 per cent of parents surveyed said they have at least one usable pair of children’s sports boots or shoes no longer being worn. More than half (57 per cent) have at least two pairs.

The pace at which children grow through footwear is also evident, with 79 per cent of parents saying they had bought two or more pairs of football boots during the previous 12 months.

Participating schools and clubs will also enter a prize draw offering a €1,000 cash donation, international match tickets, a mascot experience at a Republic of Ireland men’s senior home game and an Aviva Stadium tour.

Broadcaster Jennifer Zamparelli, whose children also play sport, will front the awareness campaign.

“As a mum, I know how quickly football boots can become too small,” she said.

“What I love about ReBoot with Aviva is that it’s such a simple idea. So many families have football boots at home that are still in great condition and could help another child keep playing the sport they love.”

Participation

The findings add another dimension to the wider national debate over how Ireland can increase and sustain sporting participation.

Cost pressures are not new. Sport Ireland’s Irish Sports Monitor for 2022 found that 18 per cent of adults had already cut back on spending on sport, while participation rates showed a substantial socio-economic divide.

The latest Aviva figures suggest the pressure remains particularly acute for families with children.

Caroline Cummins, Sponsorship Manager at Aviva Ireland, said football played an important role in helping young people remain active, build confidence and become part of their local community.

“However, our research shows that the cost of taking part is becoming a challenge for many families,” she said.

“By encouraging families to donate and swap football boots, we can help reduce costs, cut down on waste and support more children to stay involved in the game they love.”

The initiative also fits into the sustainability agenda being developed across football.

Rather than usable sports equipment being discarded or left sitting in wardrobes, the boots remain within the sporting community and are used for longer.

That circular economy element complements the FAI’s sustainability work and its engagement with MyWaste around waste management and circularity within football clubs.

Longstanding Partnership

ReBoot also extends one of the longest-standing major commercial relationships in Irish sport.

Aviva has partnered with the FAI since 2010, and last November extended its wider agreement for another five years. That deal maintains the Aviva Stadium naming rights until 2030 as well as Aviva’s sponsorship of the Republic of Ireland senior men’s and women’s teams.

Grassroots activation has increasingly become part of that relationship, including the In Her Boots programme supporting girls aged nine to 16.

ReBoot adds affordability and sustainability to that platform.

 

Sport for Business Perspective

The research offers plenty to take from it, but the 51 per cent figure should get most of the attention.

Sport wants more children playing, clubs want growing memberships and Government policy consistently points towards increasing physical activity.

That ambition becomes much harder to achieve if household finances prevent children from getting through the front door.

A pair of football boots alone will not solve the wider affordability challenge around membership fees, travel, kit and registration, but ReBoot is a good example of a sponsor using its relationship with sport to tackle a tangible problem.

It is inexpensive for families, simple for clubs to administer and delivers across three areas increasingly important to sports sponsorship: participation, community impact and sustainability.

The best partnership activations are often those where the sponsor’s involvement is useful, not merely visible.

Thousands of perfectly good pairs of boots could be sitting unused in Irish homes.

Getting them back onto pitches — and onto the feet of children who might otherwise struggle to participate — is a simple idea with the potential to make a meaningful difference.

Schools and clubs can register, and families can nominate a local organisation, through Aviva’s ReBoot programme. Link to Programme.

 

 

 

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Image Credit: Aviva

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