BRITAIN takes great pride in its young sports stars but the unsung heroes are the five million parents who spend a fortune ferrying them about.
And so they should, but the cost of doing so is rising at a prodigious rate.
As a parent of a sportswoman who represented Britain in national and international events I well remember the astronomical costs of travel but figures released Kwik Fit reveal the extent of just how British mums and dads go the extra mile to support their sporting kids.
Statistics show that British parents as a whole drive their children 2.4 billion miles per year – an average of 491 miles each – in their bid to foster the next generation of sports stars.
A staggering 20,000 parents travel over 12,000 miles a year in the pursuit of their child’s sporting excellence and a further 50,000 mums and dads drive over 500 miles a month.
It isn’t cheap developing a child’s sporting talent with an average spend of £392 a year on memberships, lessons and equipment for aspiring kids. And that's not including sky-high hotel and airline costs.
Kwik Fit claims that more than a third (36%) of motoring parents have delayed servicing their motor or replacing worn tyres, risking a breakdown, puncture or worse because of financial pressure, some having to pay sometimes over £1,000 on top of car running costs, to support participation in sport.
Sacrifices both in terms of time and money are without doubt worth it so that the next generation of sporting stars can break through but such sacrifices should not include car maintenance.
For those parents who are eating up the miles to support their kids, it’s all the more important that they keep on top of maintenance so their car is reliable, but more importantly, safe.
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