WHAT TYPE OF PLAYER IS OUR COMPETITIVE PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR?

• This program is for boys and girls ages 11-19 years old that wish to compete against other clubs across the State of Colorado (and possibly beyond!) in an organized structured league system.   

• It is designed for more ambitious, serious and committed players but it does still offer a broad spectrum of ‘levels’ of play within the Colorado Soccer Association (CSA) divisions ranging from the lowest ‘Bronze’ level, which we would describe as a few steps above recreational local soccer, all the way up to the highest level of league play in Colorado which is the ‘Premier’ division.  This league system involves promotion and relegation so it allows for teams to progress and regress based on their performances.   

• The lower levels of our competitive soccer (i.e. bronze/silver league level) will enable kids to focus on pure enjoyment, engagement and learning of the game.  It also does allow greater flexibility to participate in other sports and activities outside of soccer.  However, families are paying for the competitive experience and parents still want to watch their player be challenged at this level so we do expect these players to commit to our training and game schedule so as to not let down their teammates and to best represent our club.

• The ‘Gold through Premier’ level of play is for the more proficient and ‘soccer-centric’ athletes who want to play with other highly motivated players, compete against proficient opposition and explore further opportunities for their growth and development in the sport.  ‘Premier’ calibre players would typically be focused on soccer as their primary pursuit and would seek additional challenges and growth opportunities in and out of season.  They would usually be striving to play varsity level soccer in High School and potentially be looking to play beyond that level.

• Our Club’s position on multi-sport athletes and soccer specialization. 
• We believe firmly in well rounded people and players so we encourage our kids to seek out a wide range of pursuits and interests. All round athletic development is our preference for our players because they can learn so much from other sports and a break from soccer can be good for their mind and body! We do not expect ANY of them to commit exclusively to soccer while they are with our Club and we really want to help foster a ‘balance’ in all things. However, please consider the following:
• Competitive soccer does require a minimum level of commitment to the seasonal training sessions and games (see the breakdown below).  Unfortunately, there are too many moving parts to work our scheduling around the specific needs of individual players so upon joining this program, players must understand that during our 2x12 week seasons annually, their primary commitment will be to their soccer team.  We will always discuss situational conflicts/concerns and try to apply a fair and reasonable approach towards flexibly resolving logistical challenges for our busy players/families, but there are obvious limitations to this.

• Our goal is to ‘meet players at their level’ and help find the right soccer fit for them.  The plain truth is that kids who fully commit to soccer and seek as many opportunities for development as possible will more often than not progress at an accelerated rate.  The formula is quite simple, more touches over time equals greater success.  While we don’t mandate player attendance in our optional programs like Friday ‘Tech Nights’, camps/clinics, futsal/indoor leagues, etc., individuals that engage in these opportunities improve quicker.  Additionally, players that do not regularly miss training sessions due to conflicts with other sports improve quicker. 

• Given the above, specialization in soccer is not something we push or recommend in our competitive players ages 11-14.  Rather, we suggest parents follow their player’s level of passion and proficiency in the sport and let that be your guide.  However, given the unfortunate way in which school and other club sports are now structured seasonally, it is very challenging to be a true multi-sport athlete any longer past the age of 15.  As such, our Competitive and Elite players probably need to make some hard decisions by their freshman year of high school and choose their priorities as you simply ‘cannot have your cake and eat it’ here! 

Team Placements

• WAFC boys and girls teams will be split by proficiency/commitment into three tiers per birth year:
• Black - highest challenge level team
• Green - next highest challenge level team
• White - lowest challenge level team

Coaching

• The WAFC club will appoint coaches to our Competitive teams in a manner that aligns them with the appropriate level of play based on their experience, style and ‘fit’ for the group.  Coaches are either volunteers, compensated or have their WAFC player’s annual registration covered in lieu of payment.

Game time. 

• The WAFC philosophy is that we want ALL of our players to grow, improve and flourish so we will always aspire to give our players as equal playing time as possible.  Even at this competitive level, a player’s lack of skill or aptitude relative to their teammates is not a justification for them not getting the same playing opportunities.  The only factors that would reduce playing time would be players missing training sessions, regularly being tardy, injury/illness either on game day or leading up to it, a poor/disruptive attitude from a player, failure to accept their coaching or if it is very obvious that they are not putting in the required level of effort on the pitch.