The Current Landscape of Youth Sport in the U.S. 

Youth sport — and soccer in particular — is changing rapidly. Here are some key realities we must acknowledge to help us keep perspective and to better understand what WAFC is trying to accomplish: 

● Dropout rates are extremely high (up to 70% by age 13). What are possible reasons for this? 

○ Sport stops being enjoyable at a very young age 

○ High pressure environments (created by adults!) 

○ Specialization and burnout 

○ Increased time commitments 

○ Injuries 

● Youth sport costs have risen nearly 50% over the past six years.

● Private equity is entering youth sports, with estimates suggesting the industry could reach $75 billion by the end of this year. 

● ‘Elite’ acronym leagues continue to grow in number and influence. More is definitely not always better and certainly not for most youth athletes. 

● Soccer has a poor historical record of leadership and governance. We have not had enough ‘joined up thinking’ and collaboration to enable us all to ‘see the bigger picture’. 

● We have professionalized youth sports in this country. There is an increasing overemphasis on winning and results. The current system encourages ‘Outcomes over Experience’ by measuring status not growth. 

● The statistical reality is that only 7–8% of U.S. high school soccer players go on to play at the college level across all divisions (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA) and less than 1% will ultimately play professionally! 

● Parents and players are constantly bombarded with the ‘Fear of Missing Out’ (FOMO) 

How WAFC Chooses to Be Different… 

● We believe in zigging while others zag. WAFC wants to be different from other soccer clubs! 

● Winning is not the priority, learning is. Learning = growth = more wins (on and off the pitch). 

● We believe deeply in our vision and ethos. Our mantra remains ‘Experience over Outcomes’ - it’s still on the shorts!! 

● We want heart-centered servant coaches. Helping to develop young people is a privilege, opportunity and responsibility. 

● Person first, player second model — instilling values, character and resilience matters most.

● What’s wrong with thinking and behaving like a ‘feeder club’? We want to play our part in the process of player development.

Not all clubs can and should have acronym league programming. 

● Cost management matters to us — just because we can charge more doesn’t mean we should. WAFC wants to keep our registration costs as reasonable as possible and dream of a time when we could even reduce them! 

● Retention is always the focus, now and long-term. Growth will come if we take care of our players, families and coaches! 

WAFC Club Standards (Non-negotiable) 

● Our Club’s ‘Standards’ are non-negotiable. They are ‘our way of doing things’ (our identity). They help build a distinct, unshakeable club culture that creates positive peer pressure on our whole organization. A culture where EVERYONE must adhere to behaviors that exemplify respect, ownership, responsibility, accountability and unity. 

WAFC Standards: 

■ALL players greet other teams and coaches at training areas - importance of connection! 

■ ALL players thank coaches at the end of training sessions/tech night/games - the importance of respect and appreciation! 

■ ALL players helping coaches break down the session and collect/transport equipment - importance of being helpful! 

■ ALL players thank their parents after the match - importance of gratitude! 

■ Post-match interaction ‘hosting’ of opponents - importance of kindness and hospitality! 

■ Phones/wearables must stay in the kid’s kit bags when at WAFC activities - we don’t want to see them (coaches/leaders have to be the example here!). 

● Reducing digital stimulation one hour prior to training/games for kids is proven to improve player performance. 

● Australia is banning social media for under 16’s, Denmark for U15’s and other countries following suit.

■ Keep our sidelines at training/games neat and tidy. ‘Clean the sheds’ - a New Zealand All Blacks (rugby) principle. 

■ Coaches, parents and club working together to educate and guide players regarding the importance of preparation before training/matches - nutrition, hydration, sleep, attitude, digital stimulation. Additionally, help teach our players about the need for proper rest and recovery! 

■ Encouraging kids to take responsibility in helping parents prep their kit, fluids, sunscreen, bug spray, and remembering cleats! 

■ Set the tone and vision for the team! We want parent and team meetings before each season to create age appropriate

expectations, goals, accountability and ownership. 

■ Team managers required for each group. 

■ Mandatory merged age group training sessions (if practicable) every few weeks. We need all age group coaches seeing all players and utilize more senior coaches to help facilitate combined sessions (especially important with the age group changes coming).

 

■ Expect to see guest playing and movement between teams…..trying to find success and the right challenge point for each player! 

■ Exemplary sideline behavior from EVERYONE (parents/coaches/players) is absolutely non-negotiable! Referee abuse will not be tolerated. Period.

Upcoming Age Group Changes (Fall 2026) 

KEY POINTS TO EXPLAIN THE CHANGE: 

● Age groups will be defined by an August 1 – July 31 cutoff, rather than January 1 – December 31. Please refer to the above chart to see where your player’s year and month of birth now places them!

● The main goal is to better align youth soccer teams with school grade level in order to help maintain relationships with their school friends and to improve the drop out rate. 

● The change also reduces the number of players who are separated from their classmates, particularly around key high-stress transitions like 8th grade or high school senior year (i.e. secondary season). 

● Who will it impact the most? Players with birthdays between September and December will likely see the biggest change in their team alignment, as they may move to a younger age group relative to their previous, January-based grouping.

 

● This is not a WAFC decision — it is a USYS/CSA directive and is being implemented almost universally. 

● Whilst this is a big change, we see it as a positive realignment and the right thing to do for kids and soccer in the long run (shouldn’t have changed it 9 years ago!!). 

● Nothing changes about our club’s philosophy, beliefs or values. 

● The club is planning early and thoughtfully. Our coaches are aware and we will be having on-going meetings with them to assess player and team needs. 

● Number one priority during this change is the long-term player development of the individual player but we will also need to balance out team needs since we are a smaller club. 

● Players can play up a school year, not down. 

● Having another year at the same age/format level is definitely not a bad thing developmentally! 

● Kids will ‘try-out’ in their new ‘school year’ age group but, for logistical reasons, the ‘Age Group’ training sessions during the first 2 weeks of May will be with their current ‘birth year’ groups. 

● Please reach out to your coach or club leadership if you have any questions!

WAFC Club Culture & Learning Environment

Our culture is intentional. Our environment is not accidental. 

● WAFC is a development-first club — learning and progress matter more than short-term results. 

● We use both high-coaching and low-coaching environments on purpose. Training sessions are where we coach, guide and teach. Tech Nights, futsal, and kick-arounds are where players are encouraged to play. 

● Research consistently shows that decision-making, creativity, and game intelligence develop best through guided learning and free play. This is how top football nations develop confident, adaptable players. 

● Our approach is truly player-centered. We want players to develop the confidence and autonomy to make their own decisions on the field, not rely on constant instructions from adults. 

● In training, we coach the learning. We create pictures for players, ask good questions, guide them toward better decisions, and help them understand the game — the why, not just the what. 

● In games and free-play environments, players need freedom. We don’t want to tell them when to pass, shoot, or dribble. Those decisions must come from the player, in real time, under pressure. 

● Mistakes are not only allowed — they’re essential. Players learn best when they’re free to try things without fear of being corrected or shouted at immediately. Players must feel emotionally safe to try, fail, and learn. 

● This is real education. Just like in the classroom, we don’t want to give players all the answers — we want to teach them how to think, adapt, and learn for themselves. 

● Our coaches are learning too - continuous education and self-development.

WAFC’s 6 Core Training Principles and Introducing our Game model (Style of play) 

These principles must be visible in every WAFC training session: 

● The ball should be moving as much as possible. 

● Avoid letter ‘L’ coaching: Laps, Lines, Lectures and Lollygagging! 

● Lots of 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 play! 

● Activities should be game-realistic and opposed when appropriate. ● Sessions must encourage: 

○ Creativity 

○ Problem-solving 

○ Independent thinking

 

● Learning over outcomes. 

● Sessions should reflect:

 

○ Our game model 

○ Our culture 

○ The age and stage of the players 

● Coaches must teach the why, not just the what, with no ‘Joy-stick coaching’ from either sideline!! 

● We want confident players who can think and play for themselves! 

● “Our focus is brave attacking football, collective defending, and long-term player development over short-term results.”

Tryouts & Player Placements – 2026/27 

● CSA only allows tryouts, kickarounds, and ID sessions after May 1st. ● Clubs may provide verbal roster spot offers before May 18th, but: 

○ No financial commitments may be accepted before May 18th. 

○ As of May 18th - clubs can ‘officially register players’ and take payments. ● CSA has indicated this will be policed heavily with consequences for violations. 

Current WAFC Tentative Plan: 

● Age-group training sessions (May 4th–May 15th)

 

● Official tryouts/placements (May 18th–May 21st) 

● ‘Last-chance saloon’ tryout sessions (May 26th and/or May 27th) **This is for late additions to our club - typically kids that didn’t find an opportunity elsewhere!**

 

● Our goal is to disrupt the Spring season as minimally as possible and to ensure that 2026/27 teams are largely determined before Memorial Weekend 

Spring Season Structure & Scheduling Context:

● Scheduling is coordinated with the Town of Windsor and Weld RE-4 schools. ● We have an excellent relationship with the Town of Windsor! 

● Spring pitch spaces: 

○ Ridgeline Middle School (lights) 

○ Eastman Park 

○ Poudre Heights 

○ Severance High School grass pitch 

○ Severance Community Park is not available until next Fall as they are installing a turf pitch and lights!

● Training logistics: 

○ 2/16 - 2/26 Pre-season schedule = 430-6pm @ Eastman Park and Poudre Heights for ALL teams 

○Will change beginning in March (clocks ‘Spring forward’ on March 8th) ● Coaches should have put their training schedules into PM by now. 

● Training days should remain consistent from last season; times and locations may change. 

● Please have patience and remain flexible as we work through our logistics. Good things are coming down the road in Windsor with regard to pitch space but it will take a little bit of time! 

Community Engagement & Development: 

● School/daycare/church outreach: 

○ Mark is currently working with nine local schools assisting PE Teachers and after school clubs with free soccer programming 

○ Please bring forward your additional community engagement ideas 

○ Giving out ‘Merch Masters’ sponsored t-shirts for school kids! 

● Little Peli’s & Happy Fleet programs for 3-7 year olds: 

○ March 27 – May 15 on Friday evenings at Eastman Park! 

■ 1 Hour total - 30 min ball mastery/30 min 3v3 

■ Fun 

■ Low cost/commitment 

■ Coaches needed (Great for High School Volunteer Hours) 

● Town of Windsor Parks and Rec Engagement: 

○ Club is offering coach support/development 

○ The Club is also running a ‘Rec Pre-season Camp’ for Windsor kids (i.e. kids currently non-WAFC affiliated) on Saturday, March 7th at Eastman Park. Reach out to Mark for more details!

● How can we offset rising costs and even peel them back? 

○ Grants, fundraising events, donations: 

■ We welcome philanthropists! 

■ Please consider charitable donations - we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so your contributions are tax deductible! 

■ Let us know if you have any ideas or contacts regarding ways in which we can get creative with generating more revenue! 

● Giving Back - coming soon! Community service and volunteerism is going to be required for each team as of the Fall.