Surviving My First Season as an AAU Basketball Mom (Barely)

The boys have been playing basketball on youth and school teams since around 3rd grade. As they’ve grown, so has the level of competition, and apparently, the next step in their development meant joining a travel team. Enter AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball. We’ve always done our best to support them in all their pursuits, so when the opportunity came up, we went with the flow. What we didn’t know was just how much this new world would ask of us, too.

💸 The Cost of Playing AAU Basketball

There’s a cost for everything, and it starts before your child even touches the court. For our team, there was a $500 registration fee just to commit. That number can vary depending on the team, location, and age group, but it’s a pretty standard starting point.

Then comes the gear pack, which includes game uniforms, a practice jersey, a team-branded Nike tech suit, and a matching backpack. Ours rang in at about $400. (This is optional—there was another gear pack with just the uniform essentials.) Again, costs can differ from team to team.

The good news? Many teams allow flexibility. You can pay outright or fundraise through social media and within your network to help cover the costs.

Now, remember, we have two kids playing. So, for us, everything mentioned above? Multiply it by two.

🗓️ Committing Time & Dedication to the Schedule

If you enjoy sleeping in on the weekends, leisurely brunches, or just a little weekend dilly-dallying, AAU might not be for you. The practice schedule is intense, and weekend tournaments demand full-on family coordination. For us, that meant family meetings just to map out logistics and make sure everyone knew what was required.

The boys practiced twice a week for two hours each session. Since they were on different teams, that meant four nights a week just shuttling between practices, not including games or travel prep.

Despite being called a travel team, you’re the one doing the traveling. (I wish teams were able to raise funds to get a team bus to shuttle to the games.) Tournaments often take place up to 2.5 hours away, and weekend games aren’t always local. That means hotel stays, another cost to factor in. Sometimes the team can secure a group rate with a hotel block, but those rooms go fast because you’re competing with hundreds of other families. One tournament we attended had 30 courts and over 400 teams. That’s a whole city of hoop dreams packed into one weekend.

Which brings me to the next big thing: the level of competition.

🌟 Everyone Is a Star

That’s why we’re here, right? Because our kids were handpicked to be part of this special team, competing at a high level and chasing championships. Every parent is there to protect the best interests of their child, which means the competition isn’t just on the court. The energy is intense, and the days are long.

To qualify for Sunday championship games, the kids usually have to play 2–3 games on Saturday. And here’s the kicker: those games aren’t always in the same location. With Caleb and Joshua on different teams, we often had to divide and conquer, juggling schedules and criss-crossing towns just to make it all work.

Then there’s the downtime. There can be a long gap between Game 1 and Game 2 on Saturdays, which brings in another hidden cost: concession stand food. And yes, we’re talking about classic overpriced stadium snacks. I’ll admit, I was unprepared for the first tournament (rookie mistake), but I quickly got hip and started packing snacks like a seasoned vet.

Oh, and here’s something I didn’t expect: parents have to pay to watch. Every. Single. Tournament. Some charge a weekend pass, others make you pay a daily entrance fee, usually $15–$20 per person, per day.

Are you adding this all up so far?

🏀 Development vs. Notoriety

We didn’t come home with any championships, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a win. What we did gain was a clear view of the boys’ skill development, and just as importantly, the areas where they still need to grow. At this level, everything is exposed on the court, strengths and weaknesses alike. It gave them a reality check and a roadmap for what they need to lock in on this summer before regular-season ball kicks off again.

Would I do AAU again?
That’s still to be determined. There were a lot of personal factors behind the scenes that made this season a heavy lift. I’m incredibly grateful to our family for stepping up and supporting us through the chaos. But I’ll be honest, this level of competition was intense, even alarming at times, for the boys. To keep going, they’ll need to be in the right mental and emotional space. Confidence is everything in this game, and if that’s shaky, the experience can do more harm than good.

What became clear is that you have to be in this for the right reasons. Everyone wants their child to stand out, to get noticed by scouts, to “make it.” But when it’s all about notoriety and not development, the entire team dynamic can suffer. We saw players make decisions that favored their highlight reel instead of the team’s success, and it showed.

In the end, AAU is a beast. It’s expensive, exhausting, and emotionally charged, but it can also be a powerful experience if approached with balance, support, and the right mindset.

Let me know your AAU experience below. I would love to hear your thoughts!