Parents of sporty children spend an average of £1,216 a year on fuel driving them to training and matches, covering around 1,716 miles in the process. A study of 2,000 parents who take their child to play sport found they spend an average of three hours and 22 minutes each week chauffeuring them to practice.
Football leads the way
Football emerged as the most common sport these parents drive their children to, with 61% saying they regularly transport them to training sessions and matches. Swimming followed at 40%, with dance at 18%.
Three quarters of parents said they have had to miss out on something important to them, such as a social event, birthday or work commitment, to prioritise their children's sporting activities.
Dedication behind the scenes
Farrell Hsu, managing director for Chery UK, the car company which commissioned the research, said: "Grassroot sport plays a hugely important role in young people's lives.
"These findings show just how much dedication is required from parents behind the scenes, with parents logging an average of more than 1,700 miles a year behind the wheel to enable their children to take part.
"Football is by far the most popular activity these parents are driving to, and as the official automotive partner of AFC Bournemouth, we see just how sports bring families and local communities together.
"While managing work, personal commitments and travel costs is a constant balancing act, these car journeys have been shown to provide important bonding time for parents and their children, from early morning training sessions to weekend matches."
Challenges and benefits
The research found the biggest issues parents had with driving were traffic congestion (28%), fuel and travel costs (26%) and balancing it with work (21%).
Nevertheless, for most it is a job worth doing, with 91% agreeing their child taking part in grassroots sport has positively affected them beyond just their physical health. Confidence (66%), teamwork (63%) and social skills (56%) were the qualities most had seen improve in their children thanks to playing sports.
For 72% of parents, the time spent driving their children to training or matches has positively impacted their relationship, and the majority will miss it when their children grow older.
Potential savings
The biggest things which could make travelling to sporting events better would be lower fuel or charging costs (41%), better parking (38%) and more local training and competition venues (24%). Meanwhile, the most useful vehicle qualities for sporting commitments are good fuel economy (40%), easy-to-clean seats and surfaces (31%), comfortable seating (30%), and plenty of boot space (28%).
Hsu added: "With parents spending an average of more than £1,200 a year of fuel, and more than three hours a week sitting behind the wheel, running costs and travel time will inevitably take a real toll on busy families.
"What stands out in the data is how local this driving is. For most parents, a full week of training runs and weekend fixtures comes in under 50 miles.
"Our Super Hybrid models offer between 56 and 91 miles of pure electric range depending on the vehicle, so for many families that whole week could be covered on electric power alone.
"For anyone able to charge at home, that has the potential to take a real bite out of the annual fuel bill."
