Active Kids voucher downgrade will result in some kids dropping sports, clubs say

And families with multiple children, who play multiple sports, will be hit especially hard.

After months of uncertainty NSW Premier Chris Minns revealed the vouchers - Active Kids for sport and Creative Kids for arts - will be halved and means tested from next January, with only parents who receive Family Tax Benefit A to be eligible.

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This means less than half of the school-aged children in NSW - about 600,000 out of 1.35 million - are included.

Those who are in would receive just a $50 voucher - half the amount issued under the previous government - to help with the costs of registration for sports, classes, or music or art tuition.

Non-means tested $50 vouchers will be issued for the second half of this year as an interim measure.

For sporting groups such as the Wollongong Vikings rugby club, it's almost certain to result in kids stopping playing.

Vikings juniors president Andrew Stanton said it would be people's second sports that would be hit - such as rugby.

"A significant amount of our parents are using those vouchers," he said.

"I think it will have a massive impact. What we might find [is] kids don't register next year because families can't afford it - especially when you've got multiple kids playing multiple sports on a weekend.

"They might have to now choose one sport and not play two, which with the smaller sports, I think you'll find rugby will continue to struggle to find kids locally to play if that's the case.

"We try to keep our fees as low as possible - we've kept it to $100 which is the amount of the voucher. This year we had to go up to $110 ... but we supply playing shorts, socks and a training shirt."

It may be a tough pill to swallow in Labor electorates from a Government which promised to "do what it takes to ease the cost of living on families".

Premier Chris Minns conceded there will be people who need assistance who miss out.

"The government's wish [is to] continue a program that we acknowledge is important for people that want to play sport in NSW," he said.

"We've designed this program specifically so as that it can effect and help those who would have dropped out ordinarily if the rebate or voucher wasn't available.

"It's not going to be perfect, because there will be people who don't have access to Family Tax Benefit A, who are doing it in a difficult way as a result of financing in the state. But we have to make decisions that we think are in the long-term interests of the state."

He blamed the former government for not funding the program past this month.

The Mercury asked Minister Sports Steve Kamper several times whether this change would be likely to result in fewer children playing sport but no answer was forthcoming.

Member for Kiama Gareth Ward said the cuts could not have come at a worse time.

"Mean Minns and Labor talked a lot about cost-of-living pressures before the election. But now in government, they are smashing families after the election," Mr Ward said.

"Across the state 750,000 kids will now miss out on the voucher. This won't just be a hit on families, but it will be damaging to local sporting clubs who rely on it to entice more kids to get active."

Wollongong parents react

The NSW government says it will save money but Illawarra parents say their children will miss out when changes are made to the Active and Creative Kids vouchers program.

Mercedes Gavin believes children will be pulled out of sports teams and their creative activities as financial pressures hit families.

"A lot of people can't afford to put their kids in after-school activities because of rising interest rates and the cost of living, it makes it so much harder with no assistance," she said.

Already Wollongong's Angela Lyons is working out how best to make the most of the vouchers her family has used previously.

"I have twins and I have a 12-year-old as well," Ms Lyons said. Under the new plan, she will look at limiting her children to just one activity each.

Oak Flats' Victoria Masters was of similar mind. "Now I imagine there will be a decrease in sport and creative activities."

For Samantha Peach of Kanahooka, there will be fewer family treats. "With the Active Kids [vouchers] we do family days - Flip Out and things like that, so it's just a bit of a treat."

- Reporting by Billie Elliott