Who is colorado soccer association?

Colorado Soccer Association (CSA) offers fun, safe, and healthy opportunities for all kids. When your youth player is registered with a CSA-sanctioned club, you become part of the larger soccer world. Registration with your sanctioned club means you are affiliated with CSA. CSA is affiliated and sanctioned by US Youth Soccer, which operates as the largest branch of the US Soccer Federation. The US Soccer Federation oversees youth, adult, amateur and professional soccer players in the United States and is sanctioned by FIFA, the world governing body of soccer.

As a member of USYS and US Soccer, there are expectations, guidelines, and rules that come with every program, league, tournament, and other events that your youth player participates in.

What age group is my player in?

CSA, US Youth Soccer, and US Soccer operate using the birth year age groups. This means players are placed in an age group based upon the year they were born, not what grade they are in.

Age groups followed by a "U" means younger than the age. For example, the 8U age group means 8 and under, meaning the players are younger than 8 in the Fall season or some will be turning 8 before the end of the Spring season. See the age chart below.

Players can play up in an older age group, but CANNOT play down in a younger age group. Playing in an older age group is between you and the club you register with.

As a member of US Youth Soccer, it is a requirement that each player have their date of birth verified. This means that a member of our staff must view a government-issued document with the player’s name and date of birth. Through this process, we can also verify if the player in question has to go through the International Clearance process.

Click here to read more on verifying a date of birth.
Click here to read more on International Clearance.

Here is the age group chart for the 2019-2020 season:

When do soccer programs take place?

The soccer season runs by what is referred to as a seasonal year. The seasonal year runs from August 1st to July 31st.

• The Fall season is typically played mid-August to late-November.
• Between late-November and mid-February are the winter months, when camps and indoor soccer are typically held.
• The Spring season is typically played Mid-February to late-May.
• From late-May to late-July, soccer camps, tryouts, and other activities take place.

What is recreational soccer versus competitive soccer?

Recreational is the level every player enters the sport at. The recreational level will prioritize on players having fun, getting playing time, and playing with friends over developing players.

When a player is ready to take soccer seriously, they may transition to the competitive program. Some clubs offer a pre-competitive program for certain age groups to help with the transition.

Here are some major differences between recreational and competitive soccer:

• Price: Recreational soccer usually remains affordable so that parents and players can register from any demographic. Most competitive programs, however, require higher fees. The increase in fees helps cover coaching fees, registration fees to higher-level events, referee fees, and administrative costs.
• Time Commitment: Recreational teams may have practice once, maybe twice, a week and the expectation for player attendance is lower. Competitive practices are typically longer and more frequent and their attendance may have a bigger influence on their season.
• Travel: Recreational teams rarely travel out of state for tournaments and don't travel as far for league games, depending on the league. Competitive teams tend to enter more tournaments, which may involve traveling out of state.
• Development and Playing Time: Recreational teams tend to focus on players having fun and getting playing time. Competitive programs put more emphasis on player development and players may not get equal playing time.

Both recreational and competitive soccer programs can be amazing for players and parents. Knowing the expectations, approach, and atmosphere of the programs and your club is vital to having a great experience. Some clubs offer both types of programs, while other clubs concentrate on one or the other. Please reach out to your club with specific questions regarding their programs. Click here to view CSA-sanctioned clubs.

When can I register my player and when are tryouts?

Please contact your club for specific dates, costs, and any other questions related to registration and tryouts. Registration windows differ based on if the program is recreational or competitive and your club.

The recreational registration window for the Fall season is typically during the summer months. For the Spring season, the registration window is typically during the winter months.

The competitive tryouts for the Fall season typically occur following Memorial Day, while Spring tryouts typically occur in late October. Registrations will occur in the weeks leading up to tryouts. Dates will vary by club, so please contact your club for more information.

Click here to view CSA-sanctioned clubs.

How much does registration cost?

Registration costs and any other fees differ by club. Please contact your club for more information.

Click here to view CSA-sanctioned clubs.

Am I able to switch the club my player is registered with?

When you register your player with a club, there is a commitment tied to the contract. Each club runs differently and the registration agreement you completed upon registration may vary. The commitment made during the registration process may be for a season (Fall OR Spring) or the entire seasonal year (both Fall AND Spring). Please check with your club for any questions regarding your registration form and agreement.

If you are registered with a club for an entire seasonal year, there is a there is a two-week window at the beginning of December in which a player can transfer clubs, regardless of the registration agreement. Between December 1st and December 14th, using the GotSoccer player account, the player can submit a request using the link that is provided the day prior to the opening of the transfer window. The current club is notified of the request and, as long as there are no outstanding financial obligations, the player will be released.

Click here to read more about club releases and the Winter Transfer Window.

What programs does CSA offer?

CSA runs multiple leagues, tournaments, and player programs, making it easy for players of any ability to play soccer, regardless of geographic location. Click on the event name to be redirected to a page that contains more information regarding the event.

For recreational league soccer, CSA offers the Front Range League for the Denver Metro Area and the Mountain Region League for western Colorado.

For competitive league soccer, CSA offers the Colorado Champions League as the top tier and the Centennial League as the second tier. The Secondary League is a competitive option for players that are in the 15U age group.

The competitive tournaments that are run by CSA include State Cup, Presidents Cup, and Centennial Cup. CSA recreational tournaments include Target United Cup, CSA Cup - Grand Junction, and the Cinco de Mayo tournament.

TOPSoccer is a program that is run at different club locations that is designed to meet the needs of athletes 5 and older with physical, cognitive, or developmental disabilities.

Colorado Select is a program that offers development and next-level identification opportunities to elite players and those who want to become elite. It is operated as an expanded version of the Olympic Development Program.

What programs do clubs offer?

Many clubs offer player registration for Fall and/or Spring, form teams, and those teams play in one of the leagues that CSA runs or another available league that the club is involved in. In addition to this, some clubs run camps and other programs throughout the year. Please contact your club for information on their programming.

Click here to view CSA-sanctioned clubs.

Where can I find the rules and Laws of the Game?

The rules vary by event. Please visit the event page or contact the event director/administrator regarding rules.

The Laws of the Game are the laws written by IFAB and put into place by FIFA and is the basis for how the game is played worldwide. There are modifications made to these laws for each event as the FIFA World Cup runs completely different to the 9U age group of Front Range League.

Click here to view the rules modified laws of the game for the events run by CSA. For rules and laws of the game for events run by other clubs and organizations, please contact them directly.

What safety protocols are in place for CSA events?

Safety is one of the priorities for all players and referees.

All coaches and referees are required to complete a background check, the Center for Disease Control Concussion test, and Safe Sport, which is focused to end all forms of abuse in sports.

All rostered managers are required to complete a background check and Safe Sport.

On top of the coaches and referees being educated in concussion awareness, CSA has adopted the USYS Concussion Protocol. Click here to view the USYS Concussion Protocol. Individual clubs may have their own modifications to this policy.

The weather policy is also something that is utilized at CSA events. If lightning is detected within ten (10) miles of the site, all activities are suspended for 30 minutes. The 30 minute clock restarts each time there is a lightning strike within the ten-mile radius. Once 30 minutes has elapsed since the last strike within 10 miles, activities may resume. Individual clubs may have their own modifications to this lightning policy.

How should I behave on the sidelines at my player's game?

Many clubs have a code of conduct, which dictates how the spectators should behave at games. The majority of them share a common theme-

Treat all individuals on the field- referees, coaches, parents, players- with respect.

Click here to view the CSA Parental Code of Conduct and tips for the sideline etiquette of you, your team, and fellow parents.

How can I become a referee or coach?

CSA and all clubs are always looking out for new referees and clubs can always utilize volunteer coaches.

If you are interested in becoming a referee, please click here.

If you are interested in becoming a coach, you can contact your club. If you wish to gain more knowledge on coaching and take a free introductory course, please click here.