Rising grocery bills and the cost of youth sports are forcing some Windsor-Essex families to make difficult decisions about where their money goes. For some parents, giving their children the opportunity to play organized sports comes with a price tag that can reach thousands of dollars a year, and that sometimes means taking on debt. Ron Drouillard, president of the Windsor Wildcats Girls Fastball Association, estimates a season of competitive softball can cost a family around $10,000, depending on travel and additional training. “The cost of playing the rep sports is quite a bit,” Drouillard said. “When you’re going away five, six, seven weekends in any given sport, it’s a thousand dollars a weekend to go away. It’s tough to keep up.” He says some families are refinancing their homes to help cover the expenses, while teams look for ways to reduce costs by sharing meals and organizing potlucks instead of eating at restaurants during tournaments. Private instruction and other extras can push the costs even higher. Drouillard says the financial burden can ultimately determine which children get to participate. “That’s why some can’t play because of the cost. And it’s unfortunate, there’s only so many people that can,” he said. He believes some families will eventually pull their children out of competitive programs and move them into less expensive recreational leagues, although others continue to find ways to pay. The financial pressures come as the cost of basic necessities continues to climb. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s 2026 Nutritious Food Basket report shows the weekly grocery bill for a family of four has increased by 8.15 per cent compared with last year, reaching nearly $294, or more than $1,277 a month. The report also found that 24 per cent of local households experienced food insecurity in 2025. June Muir, president and CEO of the Unemployed Help Centre Hub of Opportunities and president of the Windsor Essex Food Bank Association, says demand for assistance at the centre has increased by 15 per cent over the past year. She says even people working full-time are finding it difficult to cover their basic expenses. “If you’re earning minimum wage and you’re a family of four and you’re trying to pay your rent, buy your groceries, you absolutely need to come to the food bank,” Muir said. She says the financial strain can also mean children miss out on activities their friends are enjoying. “When a parent has to tell a child, ‘I can no longer do that because we don’t have enough money to stretch,’ that’s got to be very devastating to a child,” she said. For families looking for help getting their children involved in sports, Assist Windsor-Essex provides financial support toward registration costs and other expenses. President Tony Pella says the organization’s goal is to ensure every child has an opportunity to participate in an active sport. However, he says demand has outpaced available funding. Earlier this year, Assist had to shut down its online application portal because it did not have enough money to continue providing assistance. “I believe it’s a big gap,” Pella told CTV News. The organization raises money primarily through bingo partnerships and an annual golf tournament. It also recently received a $15,000 grant from the Windsor-Essex Community Foundation. Pella says families can visit the Assist Windsor-Essex website to learn more about applying for support. According to Drouillard, the benefits of youth sports go beyond the playing field, but he says parents also need to consider the financial reality. He encourages young athletes to prioritize education, noting only a small percentage will go on to play professionally. “Get your education. Because you’re going to need education because we got one per cent of these kids, even locally, are going to go pro in any sport and make money,” he said.
