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Real Colorado (formerly St Vrain FC)

It's How You Play the Game!

Program Overview and Most Commonly Asked Questions

 


At every level of our Club, we want players to not only become better at soccer, but we want them to love it and play it for the rest of their lives.  For many players, soccer is more than a game, but a way of life.  For those players, we offer the Competitive program.  The Competitive program is for both genders and begins at the U11 age group and continues through U19 and beyond.  

It is our goal to develop players at the younger ages so as they continue to grow and mature, they will gain the skills necessary to play at the highest level possible. We feel that by teaching them individual skills at the younger ages, they will be empowered and confident as they grow, thus progressing as a player. 

St. Vrain FC emphasizes the technical and tactical development of individual players along with the overall growth of the team.

What is Competitive Soccer?

All of our Competitive teams play in a league run by Colorado Soccer Association.  The state is organized by divisions based on ability and locale.  Our top teams will compete against similar competition from around the state, while some of the lower-level teams may have the opportunity to compete regionally.  The competitive teams will play for both the fall and spring seasons each year and will train 3 days per week.  Each team will also decide which tournaments they wish to compete in.  Many people worry that the increased commitment or added challenge of competitive soccer will take away from the fun.  However, we make sure that all of our coaches place the highest importance on fun and the love of the game.  After all, we want our players to play soccer for the rest of their lives.

How is Competitive Soccer best for Player Development?

Players are grouped through a tryout process.  This allows us to place players of similar abilities together.  At the ages of U11 and U12, players should be getting more from practice than they should be getting from games.  Because of this, it is important to group similar players together to allow the team to train in a manner conducive to learning.  If a team consists of a very diverse group of players, then it becomes difficult to decide what to train.  A coach will have to decide to train a specific topic, and that topic may be too easy for some players or too hard for others.  But, if the entire team is ready for a specific topic, then the coach is able to adequately lesson plan and prepare them for the next step, whatever that may be.Because we are able to determine a team’s ability level after the team is formed, we are able to better place that team with similar competition.  With that, the level of competition is much more consistent, week in and week out.  This again, is better for development.

Why is Professional Coaching Important?

Professional coaches understand the different stages of the development process at the different age groups.  This allows them to lesson plan accordingly.  They are also able to read and understand the game to train specific topics to show improvement over the course of time.  The advanced soccer knowledge and experience as both players and coaches allows them to contribute to the curriculum which is designed to challenge the players while allowing success.  Again, the goal of every stage of development is to continuously prepare players for the next level, whatever that may be.

What are the guidelines on playing time?

Playing Time on the Green team is earned, however we encourage an active rotation policy so that every player gets in during each half.  All White and Black team players will be given a minimum of 50% time on the pitch for matches or as close to 50% as possible with the understanding that substitutions do not occur at regular intervals.  This is an average over the course of the season.There are exceptions to this rule in the following cases:

  • State Cup/President's Cup Matches
  • Finals for tournaments
  • In the case of disciplinary action
  • Injury and player safety

*It is strongly encouraged that all players are given an opportunity to play at all levels so that they may develop and therefore be a reliable teammate when called upon.

Player Evaluations and Player Movement

At St. Vrain FC our players will be given a yearly player evaluation, conducted by their head coach, following the fall season. The purpose of this evaluation is to give the player an honest opinion of their current abilities, while providing verbal and written feedback to improve their game. The player evaluation process is similar to a report card or parent teacher conference in school.We believe the player evaluation process is an integral piece to the player development equation and will provide St. Vrain FC coaches with the resources to perform evaluations.

Part of the Player evaluation process is to move a few select players between teams during the week for training.  These players have demonstrated the ability to compete at the next level and are leaders on their team.  While we believe that player movement is integral to player development, not all of the players are candidates for promotion.  In some cases, a player is chosen to train with a team at a higher level so they are better prepared to contribute to their own squad.Official full‐team Tryouts only happen once a year, so nobody will be moved out of the program as we commit to a player for a full year. However, if a situation arises where a player moves into town, or was  not able to attend the original tryouts, then they may be allowed to try out as an individual to see if they are a good addition to the team. In the event such a situation occurs, they may be added to the roster, and may cause player movement within an age group.  Evaluations should be considered a year‐round activity and constantly taking place. 

Players new to the area will be allowed to compete for a spot within the program and may cause player movement in order to place them accordingly and balance rosters. However, no player will be removed from the program due to new players, as we have made the same 1-year commitment to the players within the program.

Content

$1,100-1,500 Annually
9-10 Month Season
Intermediate-Advanced
Practice 2-3x/Week
Game 1-2x/Week
9v9 Including GK (U11/U12)
11v11 Including GK (U13+)
Home Games at Sandstone
Away Games Based on Opponent
Uniform Separate
Paid and Licensed Coaches

Contact:
U9-U11 Director of Coaching: Timothy Laxson
[email protected] / 303.651.3109x103 

U12-U19 Girls Director of Coaching: Mike Clayton
[email protected]
 / 303.651.3109x102

U12-U19 Boys Director of Coaching: Zac Gibbens
[email protected] / 303.651.3109 x104


Contact Us

Real Colorado (formerly Saint Vrain FC)

795 South Sherman Street, Unit #8
Longmont, Colorado 80501

Phone: 303-651-3109
Email: [email protected]

Real Colorado (formerly Saint Vrain FC)

795 South Sherman Street, Unit #8
Longmont, Colorado 80501

Phone: 303-651-3109
Email: [email protected]
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