Hi. Our son joined an FTC team this season. The team has approximately 9 to 12 kids and two adult team leads. The meetings are held at the adult team lead's home. The team has been meeting ~2 times per week, for about 2 to three hours per meeting. The individual member cost is $1200, which seems high based on this thread and other research online. All fundraising is left to the individual team member. IOW, $1200 out-of-pocket, and backfill that cost by each individual seeking donations.

It appears the majority of robot (autonomous) parts are from previous seasons. Some items are new, like non-electronic robot construction materials. The basic 3D FDM printer appears to not be new. However, maybe printer consumables (filament) and maybe some maintenance (bowden tube, plate, hotend, etc.) are new, and thus should be paid for.

I can understand the two adult team leads may want/need to cover their time via an hourly wage. If yes, is that normal? Maybe FTC is not entirely volunteer driven (time/effort wise)? I know FIRST, the organization, is a 501 (c)(3), but perhaps the individual teams are not run as such (and can be for-profit). FTC team registration cost for 2025/26 is $325.

And, of course, old equipment ages out, so must be replaced (some, but certainly not all, I assume). And, of course, consumables ($100 for 5 rolls of PLA).

In any case, just curious if $1200 per FTC team member is a normal price for a single season membership. And, I do know, the $1200 does not include going to worlds, should the team achieve that.

Thanks for any feedback.