Elijah Fonotia (left), Sam Ruthe (centre, with father Ben), and Kelly Brown (right) are high-performing athletes navigating the significant costs of competing at an elite level. Photos / Steve McArthur & Photosport

A six-figure family investment, 40-hour work weeks alongside training, and years of fundraising.

Those are some of the hidden costs behind young New Zealand athletes pursuing opportunities on the world stage.

Whether it’s basketball in the United States, rowing at Oxford or competing against the world’s best runners, athletes andtheir parents say success comes down to “sacrifice” and “compromise”.

Former Rotorua Boys’ High School student Elijah Fonotia is a sophomore studying a business administration degree at Harford Community College in Maryland, US.

He’s in his second year with the college’s men’s basketball team and said the financial demands of basketball were evident at 16 after being selected for a tournament in Australia.

“When I moved at 17 to live in the States, I knew the exact costs as my parents were very open about how big of a sacrifice it would be in order for their boy to live out his dreams.”

Fonotia said he began earning money at 13 to help fund basketball costs, but his parents made the biggest sacrifices.

They juggled full-time work, fundraising, early-morning training runs and family responsibilities to support his sporting journey.

“I only know the true meaning of the word sacrifice through the way my parents lived their day-to-day lives,” he said.

“They made it very clear that they would support me in any way.”

Daniel Fonotia, Elijah’s father, said he estimated they had spent about $100,000 on his son’s basketball during his teenage years.

“He’s currently not in his teens, and we are still having to support him financially.”

He said funding his son’s basketball meant sacrificing spending on cars, home improvements, holidays and nights out.

“We had to ensure we had money set aside for just-in-case expenses, especially when you have a child overseas as you’re dealing with the unknowns.”

He said one of the most valuable things parents could do was build connections with families facing similar challenges.

“If you can get as much advice as possible, it is such a huge help until you learn how things work; then you can pass your experiences on to those that reach out.”

She is preparing for the second year of her Master of Philosophy in International Relations, and working 40 hours a week at a local pub to cover costs.

“Understandably, it’s Oxford, so there is a lot of money around, but none of my 50 teammates also have to work a job alongside studying and rowing.”

The 23-year-old said that was “annoying” because she could not afford to row without the job, but working was “negatively impacting” her athletic performance.

“There have been many conversations with my parents and myself as to whether or not the financial sacrifice is worth it in the long run for me to continue rowing at this high level.”

She said the biggest expense was equipment.

A new, top-of-the-line eight (boat) could cost about $60,000 and a new single could be $15,000.

“And that’s just the cost to buy the boat; that doesn’t include oars, spare parts, or the inevitable maintenance costs.”

Brown said she understood from the outset that competing in rowing would come at a high cost.

“The fact that my parents were willing to make the financial sacrifice meant that I had to give my everything to the sport.”

His father, Ben Ruthe, said Sam was fortunate to have many of the “fundamental elements” for an athlete’s success.

“A great training group, a great coach and a healthy living environment, and he has all of those in this amazing region.

“It is just running, but that isn’t the end of the story.”

Ruthe said reaching the next level on the global stage required some “critical steps”.

He said one of the biggest challenges was opportunities to compete against top athletes, often requiring overseas travel once local competition was exhausted.

He also said athletes needed investment in coaching support, strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, nutrition, medical care, equipment and travel.

“Everything is a cost-benefit compromise.”

Sport NZ Group chief executive Raelene Castle said the organisation recognised how vital it was for rangatahi to participate in sport and active recreation.

“Sport NZ invests in, and works closely with, our sport and active recreation partners to ensure young people have quality opportunities to be active.”

She said Sport NZ was aware of the “important role” families played in their children’s involvement in sport, “often financially supporting their children as they pursue their sporting endeavours”.

It realised “that these costs can have an impact”.

Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.