Is playing volleyball expensive? How MUCH it cost to play club volleyball

Playing volleyball is not that expensive as you don’t need a lot of gear. Good shoes, socks, pants, a t-shirt, and knee pads should do. Some players also have arm sleeves (or pads) and need sports glasses. You might also need something to retain your hair in place but a cheap rubber band often does the trick. As with anything, it is possible to buy the most expensive version of all of this equipment and this can cost quite a lot but if you compare it with a lot of other hobbies, it is still a cheap sport. If you play it at home, you will need a ball, net, and something to draw (or layout) the lines of the field. All of these things are not that expensive either, so overall volleyball is one of the cheapest hobbies that you can have as the gear often lasts quite a lot of time as well.

Let’s discuss the price of each item separately. With membership fees included for the volleyball club, it should cost about 500-1000 USD to play volleyball for one year. This might sound a lot but you are able to play this for a lot of hours for this price. Let’s say that you can play 4 hours per week with this and 35 weeks per year (so 140 hours per year). This amounts to a cost of 3.5 to 7 USD per hour to play volleyball. There are a lot of sports out there that are more expensive and will cost you a pretty penny. Therefore I would say that volleyball is not that expensive to play if you don’t go for the most expensive equipment. This doesn’t take the transport cost into consideration and these can be quite high if you have to play in other states.  

It has to be noted that some teams are for-profit businesses. If you play in a statewide or national competition, travel will cost a lot as well and then you can look at 2000 USD or more per year. Check with your local team what they charge. In some instances, you can find sponsors that cover the travel costs. The costs to travel can add up quite quickly.

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How much does volleyball equipment cost?

  • Shoes

Shoes are one of the bigger expenses. Any indoor shoes should work, you also have shoes that specifically focus on volleyball players and these are worth the additional cost if you play a lot. Overall, the shoes should cost about 80 USD. If you want, you can spend a lot more on this but you should be able to get started around this price. 

  • Socks

You can start out with normal socks. Sporting socks are better at retaining sweat, these should cost less than 20 USD per pair. 

  • Pants

You will need shorts to play volleyball. These should cost less than 50 USD and you can probably wear them the whole season. You have pants with a drawstring and also with an elastic. I prefer a drawstring as these give more control but this depends on personal preferences. 

  • Shirt

This can be a standard t-shirt. Cotton t-shirts are more expensive but are more comfortable to play with than synthetic materials.  More expensive t-shirts are better at retaining the sweat and can be bought later on. This is not a big expense and you can wear these shirts for a long time.

You will have to wear these for a long time and therefore they have to be comfortable. You can get these for around 70 USD. I would spend more on this and on shoes if you plan to play quite a lot. You can always get away with a cheap t-shirt but knee pads need to be comfortable to play with. 

  • Arm sleeves

Once again, arm sleeves are quite cheap as they are just a piece of fabric. For about 30 USD these can be bought. It might be necessary to replace them from time to time as they attract a lot of dust and sweat but given their low price, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. 

  • Sport glasses

Depending on the brand and your requirements, these can range from 50 USD to 200 USD. They are often made out of plastic and the cheap ones might not look that nice but they do the job quite well. Not a lot of players need this so it is an exceptional expense but could be necessary to see what is going on if you are used to wearing glasses every day. 

  • Ball

You have indoor and outdoor balls. Also foam and leather balls. Foam balls cost less than 40 USD whereas leather balls can go up to 70 USD or more. Be sure to buy a ball that follows the official weight and size requirements. If you decide to join a competition, later on, you are used to playing with the right ball already. 

  • Net

You can get several volleyball nets for around 100 USD. These nets are often strong enough to play outside but don’t expect wonders from them as they don’t have a strong structure to keep the net in place. More expensive nets go for 200 USD. The latter ones are sturdier and will be usable through multiple seasons. You only need this if you don’t plan to join a club. 

Lines

Depending on the terrain, you can use chalk or spray paint. It can also be worth considering to use some fabric. This should cost less than 30 USD and this is only needed if you plan to play volleyball at home so not a lot of people will need this.

How much does volleyball club cost? 

This fee often ranges between 300 and 1000 USD per year, depending on the club. This might sound like a big amount but it covers a lot of things. This has to pay for a lot of showers, the trainer, the sports arena, the balls and so on so it is normal that this amount is quite high. You might have to pay some other fees as well as these might not be included. Given the things that you get in return, the membership fee for the volleyball club is not that high. It is the biggest expense and you should only make it if you are certain that you want to pick up volleyball as a hobby. You can often attend free training to see if it is something for you. Only become a member if you are sure that you enjoy playing it. 

Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash

Some clubs travel a lot and this increases the costs by a lot as you need hotels, plane and bus tickets. These are mostly college teams and in some instances, they have a sponsor that can cover some of these expenses but often the players have to spend quite a lot of their own money. It can cost more than 2000 USD if you play nationwide and have to travel to several states.

Some schools offer a greatly reduced fee as they have other ways to get income for the team. This might be done through selling cookies or a dinner party. Some schools also get the required amount from the tuition fee itself. Check with your local club what can be done to reduce the yearly fee. 

To conclude, we can state that volleyball is a cheap hobby if you don’t go for the premium gear. You don’t need a lot of equipment to get started and can build up your investment over time. The most expensive part is the shoes or knee pads but you have entry models as well that are quite affordable for beginning players. The equipment often lasts quite a long time so you don’t have to replace it that often. Therefore volleyball is an affordable hobby. The yearly fee for the club might be the highest investment that you have to make but you should only do this once you are certain that you will attend a lot of the training.  For a year of playing volleyball, it should cost between 500 and 1000 USD if you don’t buy the most expensive stuff. This might sound like a lot but you will be able to play a lot of hours of volleyball with this.