Is Saturday night Hockey night in your household? According to CBC, well over 3 million Canadians watched the first NHL League Hockey game in January.

However in a recent report by CBC News, Golf was said to be the favourite sports played by Canadian adults, whilst children preferred soccer.

We all want our children to grow up into healthy, happy adults and sport is a popular choice for parents who don’t want their kids sitting at home on computers. But, sports equipment doesn’t come cheap and you need to bear this in mind when your child asks to join your local junior league.

It costs more to get out your child to play hockey than any other of the popular children’s sports. A hockey player needs a hockey stick, a helmet, elbow and knee protectors, ice skates gloves and the team kit. The most expensive item is the skates and the cheapest believe it or not is the hockey stick. All the equipment, if bought new will set you back something in the region of $700.

Soccer is far cheaper all you need are the kit, some shin protectors and a decent pair of football boots. The whole kit new, can be bought for around $120.

Other sports popular with children are Baseball and Basketball. Like soccer these sports don’t need so much in the way of equipment and you buy what you need for just under $300.

A tennis kit and equipment costs $200, but the cheapest by far is martial arts, where all you need is the uniform, which you can buy for less than $100.

If your child has recently joined a team and you need to get that all important equipment, Wonga, the payday loan company can offer you a fast loan to tide you over, until you get paid.

Taking your child for hockey lessons, means training sessions in the morning and paying travel costs and league fees. The National Hockey League (NHL) has professional teams throughout Canada and in the United States, so if you have ambitions for your child to play professionally, you need to focus on the one of the national teams, like the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Vancouver Canucks, amongst others.

Soccer is dominated by the Canadian Soccer Association and children play in Leagues across Canada, some through the BMO financial group.

Baseball is covered by coaching associations like The Little League of Canada and The Canadian Federation of Amateur baseball is the governing body for the sport.

Basketball is governed by the Canada Basketball and they offer weekend camp courses at their Junior Academy. The Steve Nash Youth Basketball also has basketball coaching programme in various Canadian provinces.

Tennis Canada have recently introduced a smaller court and a slower ball to enable younger kids to master their technique before going on to play adult tennis.

Martial arts enthusiasts can enrol in classes throughout Canada. There are a number of different organisations, just browse the web for your area.