It will cost more to enroll your child in baseball and other activities this summer as the city of Toronto introduced hourly rates for its sports fields.

It could cost $12, $8 or $6 per hour depending on the quality of the field – and one baseball association says that amount could reach $200 a family.

“It would cost somewhere between $100 and $200 per family, depending on how much time they spend and what kind of a field they’re playing on,” Greg Dennis, chairman of the Scarborough Stingers, told CityNews.

“I think everyone is surprised. It came to us out of the blue...baseball is always looked at as one of the affordable sports, especially when compared to hockey.”

Before, it didn’t cost a thing to rent a field, which one councillor suggested led to over-booking. If that problem is eliminated, Coun. Doug Ford said, the fees will likely drop.

“What some baseball associations do, is they book the fields for seven days a week, around the clock,” Ford told CityNews.

“Once we get the schedule figured out...the fee should be about $2 a child.”

The city isn’t making money on the fees, Coun. Michael Thompson said.

“There has been an increase in terms of the costs...of offering programs,” Thompson told CityNews.

The money will be used for field maintenance, such as grass-cutting, electricity for the lights, and irrigation.

The city does have financial programs in place to help needy families, Thompson said, adding that it’s not just sports fields that are affected.  The cost for arts’ programs is also going up.