Rapids Classic | 9U-19U | AUG ’22

2021 Rapids Classic Rewind

The 2021 Rapids Classic was the go-to destination for top teams across the front range and western United States. With 530 teams joining us, hundreds of goals were scored and thousands of memories were made for our youth athletes!

General Event Details & Critical Event Timeline

Teams should register and play according to the 2022 Fall season. We will follow US Soccer’s Age Group Guidelines based on birth year. Gold Divisions will comprise the highest level of teams registered. You should register your team according to the below hierarchy: 

• ELITE Division – ECNL, GAL, or Equivalent Development League
• GOLD Division – CSA Champions League Teams
• SILVER Division – CSA Centennial Elite, Platinum, & stronger Gold teams
• BRONZE Division – Centennial Silver, Bronze, and Recreational teams

Early Bird Registration & Registration Deadlines:

• Early Bird Pricing will end on July 13th, 2022.
  • A $100 Late Registration Fee will apply on and after July 14th, 2022.
• FINAL Registration Deadline will close on July 21st, 2022 
  • Teams waitlisted will be notified no later than July 21st, 2022 of their acceptance into the event.

Acceptance Process:

• Acceptances have begun!
• If your team is traveling for this event, please reach out directly to check the status of your application.
• We can accept teams early who are traveling to allow for ample time to reserve accommodations. 

Payment Process:

• Payment is NOT processed when you submit your application!
• Payments will begin being processed after registration closes on July 21st, 2022.
• All payments will be completed between July 21st and August 11th, 2022.
• Payment Methods Accepted:
  • Credit Card & Debit Card
  • Check Payment: Clubs with 5+ teams registered may request this option.
  • * Payment by check will NOT be accepted otherwise! *

Bracketing Information:

• As teams apply they are ranked in each age group based on:
  1. The difficulty of your League Schedule (What division you are in)
  2. Most recent League Standings & Records (How well you did in that league)
  3. Future team placement by CSA (If CSA is moving you up or down)
  4. League Goal Differential (Helps differentiate teams in similar league standing)
  5. Questions answered within our Application Process
• Once rankings are complete, teams are then seeded in groups based on their rankings in a “Snake” placement order.
  • 6-Team Group Example: Group A = 1, 4, & 5 | Group B = 2, 3, & 6
  • 8-Team Group Example: Group A = 1, 4, 5, & 8 | Group B = 2, 3, 6, & 7
• This is a standard ranking procedure used at top youth sports events across the country.

Schedule Information:

• Schedules will be released to teams on August 4th, 2022.
• Teams will have 24 hours to review schedules and request changes, all changes are subject to staff authorization and no guarantees can be made.
• If you have any special requests, please reach out early and let us know! We will do our best to accommodate, but can not make any guarantees.
• Example:  “Our team is driving from Vail, please do not schedule us later than 5 PM and earlier than 9 AM”

Expected Locations for Teams:

• 11v11 – ALL at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park (Grass) & Some at ASP(Grass)
• 9v9 – Most at Gates South Complex (Grass) & Some at Aurora Sports Park (Turf/Grass)
• 7v7 – ALL at Gates North Complex (Grass)

Projected Times of Games:

• Thursday, August 18th, 2022:
  • 7v7 – No Games
  • 9v9 – Some local teams will  play between 5:30 PM and 9:30 PM
  • 11v11 – Some local teams will play between 5:30 PM and 9:30 PM
• Friday, August 19th, 2022:
  • 7v7 – No Games Likely
  • 9v9 – Some teams MAY play from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM (Includes further in-state teams from FC, CR, CS)
  • 11v11 – Some teams MAY play from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM (Includes further in-state teams from FC, CR, CS)
• Saturday, August 20th, 2022:
  • All ages, all day from 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM
  • Rapids vs. Houston Dynamo @ 7:00 PM
• Sunday, August 21st, 2022:
  • All ages, all day from 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM

Teams Traveling From Out of State or Far Distances:

• Schedules will be prioritized to give Thursday and Friday before 5:00 PM as travel days to arrive in Denver, Colorado.
• Teams traveling far distances WILL NOT have games on Thursday.
• Friday games after 5:30 PM ARE a possibility for all teams.
• ALL TEAMS staying in hotels must use Traveling Team services to assist their stay in Colorado. Contact info can be found in the “Lodging” tab above.

Check-In & Roster Verification Information:

Team managers, administrators, and tournament staff: Please follow the guidelines below to certify rosters and check teams!

*Rapids South, Central, and Castle Rock teams*  – Club Admins will complete your roster verification process. You WILL still need to Check-In on-site!

Documentation Needed for Roster Verification:

These are the documents you will need to upload into GotSport for approval:

• Team Roster PDF
• Player ID Cards PDF
  • You do NOT need to upload Player ID cards if your roster has player pictures!
  • All teams 9U-10U, as well as Recreational teams, do NOT need Player ID cards.)
    
• Medical Forms PDF
• Guest Player Form PDF (*If needed*)

Roster and Player ID PDFs will be accessible in your club’s registration system. For most teams, it will be one of the 3 systems below. 

• SportsConnect (Most CSA Clubs)
• PlayMetrics (CRYSC-Specific)
• GotSport (Most Other Clubs)

Download a PDF of both the Rosters AND your Player ID cards from your system. Please contact your club if you are having trouble locating these forms in your respective system! With many clubs on new systems, your clubs will know best and can provide you with the best guidance! 

Documentation Uploading & Approval Process:

1. Upload Your PDF Documents into your GotSport Registration.

• Click HERE to watch “How to Upload Your PDFs After Registering”

2. Wait For Your Approved Roster to Be Emailed Back to You!

• Once you have uploaded the roster, Tournament Staff will approve rosters. 
• Once verified, it will be given an “Official Stamp of Approval” and will be emailed to your team’s coach, manager, and other staff listed.

3. Print One Copy of the Official Approved Roster for Check-In onsite.

• Prior to your first match, you must check-in at the “Check-In Tent” at your facility where you will play your first game.
• Staff will confirm that you have your approved roster (printed) and access to all other forms via electronic access (PDFS in Google Drive, Via email, etc.)

Roster Approval Timeline:

• Document PDF Uploads will be due NO LATER than Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022.
• Verified rosters will be emailed back to all teams BY Monday, August 15th, 2022. 

Roster Checks Before Games:

• Referees will collect your approved verified roster (PDF or Printed) prior to every match. 
• The referee WILL do a roster check before the kick-off of each match. 
• If there are any disputes regarding player eligibility or roster eligibility, the referee will use the provided roster to compare with the Tournament’s approved roster. 

Check-In Requirements:

At Check-In, you will need to bring OR show proof of:

• Tournament-Approved Roster With Approval Stamp – ONE PRINTED COPY
  • This will be emailed to you from tournament staff BY August 15th, 2022.
• Player ID Cards (PDF or Printed, Whatever is easiest)
  • You do NOT need to upload Player ID cards if your roster has player pictures!
  • All teams 9U-10U, as well as Recreational teams, do NOT need Player ID cards.
• Guest player forms (Digital form preferred)
• Medical forms (Digital form preferred)

The Check-In Process:

• All teams MUST check-in 1 hour before their first game’s start time.
• Tournament Staff will confirm you have your ONE PRINTED ROSTER and access to all other forms via electronic access (PDFS in Google Drive, Via email, etc.)
• One team representative (Coach or Manager) must verbally agree and listen to the roster agreement when you check in that confirms your roster is age-eligible, and should there be any discrepancies in the roster at any point throughout the event, your team is subject to immediate removal from the event without refund.

Check-In Expectations:

In no event will a player who has not been certified by the Rapids Tournament Staff Credentials Committee will be allowed to participate. Once play has started in the first scheduled game, no players may be added to the roster for the remainder of the tournament.

Tournament officials approve all team rosters and eligible players. Proof of team check-in with the tournament will be visible on the team’s tournament roster.  Referees WILL review individual player credentials prior to each game & perform a safety/equipment check-in.  Referees will inquire with tournament staff if there are any questions regarding player eligibility.

Weather, External Conditions, and Cancellations

Regardless of weather conditions (unless for safety reasons), players and coaches must be on the field at the scheduled time, ready to play. The Tournament Director has the authority to reduce the length of matches due to weather conditions before the start of a match; all such matches will be considered official. The Tournament Director may also reschedule (time and location) a match before it begins. Only referees or the Site Director can suspend a match already started due to weather conditions. All matches that reach halftime will be considered final per the Tournament Director. i.e. 1 second into 2nd half and the home team leads 1:0, lighting strikes, the game is considered over. 

Severe Weather in Area:

• Should a storm begin to threaten the event, state-of-the-art radar will be used to determine the distance of the storm and any strikes of lightning that may be within a 10-mile radius. 
• Should there be a lightning strike within said 10-mile radius, games will be temporarily stopped and teams must return to their cars. 
• A “Waiting Time” of 30 minutes without a strike of lightning must be observed before the teams can safely return to the facility. 
• If the “Waiting Time” exceeds 60 minutes, games will be ended at their time of stoppage if more than 60% of the game has been completed. 
• If less than 60% of the game has been completed, the Tournament Director has the authority to reschedule the game to a new time or cancel the game and award points based on a points averaging scale. 

Cancellation Refund Agreement:

• For a tournament in progress (dates of the planned event), in the event of rain, snow or acts of God, the tournament director reserves the right to reduce game times and numbers of games.
• Refund Structure is as follows:
  • 100% refund – if the tournament is canceled in its entirety due to COVID-19. 
  • 80% refund – if the event is canceled entirely due to weather, or any other external forces. 
  • 60% refund – If only 1 game is played of the 3 guaranteed games. 
  • 30% refund – If only 2 games are played of the 3 guaranteed games. 
• No refund is given if:
  • A team withdraws within 30 days prior to the tournament.
  • a team decides to forfeit a game, giving them less than the guaranteed minimum of played games. 
  • The team withdraws to play in another tournament.

Colorado Air Quality Monitoring:

• Due to the danger of forest fires, referee assignors on site will monitor the air pollution levels if necessary. 
• Should levels rise to 125, referees will instill water breaks and staff will actively monitor the Air Quality situation.
• Should levels rise to 150 or higher, games may be shortened by up to 10 minutes per half. 
• Should levels rise to 200 or higher, games will be canceled on the spot and attempted to be rescheduled.

We are partners with Traveling Teams!

TRAVELING TEAMS is pleased to partner with Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club to provide trusted hospitality services for the Colorado Rapids Tournament Series. For over 20 years, TRAVELING TEAMS has proudly served youth sports as the nation’s leading event housing partner.

*ALL TEAMS IN NEED OF HOSPITALITY BOOKINGS MUST USE TRAVELING TEAM SERVICES* 

Benefits of Booking Though Traveling Teams

• Competitive hotel rates with price ranges that can satisfy all participants and families alike.
• All members of a team will remain together in close proximity to the venue.
• We seek to provide hotels that cater to teams including complimentary breakfast and other amenities.
• A dedicated Team Travel Coordinator as well as a full-service call center is provided to handle all of your booking necessities.
• Ability to work with hotels in unfortunate event cancellation situations due to weather.

For questions, please reach out to our good friend Michael McGill at Traveling Teams through the contact information below:

Michael McGill – Senior Account Manager

Work: (866) 468-3268 x8884

Mobile: (248) 513-2912

Fax: (800) 920-7023

Email: [email protected]

CSA Referee Information

Want a “better” referee? Sign up for classes, study hard, and YOU can be the change!

**Under NO circumstances are spectators, coaches, or players allowed to verbally or physically abuse referees. This shortage does have a direct correlation to the poor treatment of youth soccer referees across the US. Any unacceptable behavior will result in your removal from our facilities.**

CSA Referee Administration

• Esse Baharmast – Director of Referees
• Deanna Duncan-Allen – Director of Assignment

Colorado Referee Committee:

• Neal Fausset, State Referee Administrator / State Youth Referee Administrator
• Younes Marrakchi, State Director of Assignment
• Eric Bryan, State Director of Assessment

Referee Disciplinary Committee:

• J. Kirk McGill
• Megan McCain
• Tom Widera
• [email protected]

REGISTER & START YOUR U.S. SOCCER CERTIFICATION TODAY!

Download these PDFs as a reference to understand the online coursework:

Instructions for Referee Candidates under age 18

Instructions for Referee Candidates age 18 and over

Have problems with your course? Check out this FAQ:

https://ussoccerfederation.force.com/lcsupport/s/article/Progress-Saving-Issue

Colorado Rapids Discounted Tickets for All Registered Teams!

Teams registered for the 2022 Rapids Classic will have access to the Colorado Rapids vs. Houston Dynamo MLS game for a discounted rate! Ticket prices will start as low as $22 per ticket. Purchase your team’s tickets today to guarantee to sit together.

*Your link will be available after registration in your acceptance email!*

Colorado Rapids Game Information: 

• Game: August 20th, 2022 – Rapids vs. Houston Dynamo @ 7:00 PM
• Location: DICK’S Sporting Goods Park
• Ticket Prices:  Starting as low as $22 per ticket!

*To book group outing tickets, please reach out directly to Mario Castro at [email protected] referencing your participation in the Classic!*