11U-19U Recreational - Rapids Fort Collins

CRYSC 11U-13U Rec programming continues to build upon the technical foundation started in the 5U-10U programs and builds on the Colorado Rapids curriculum. Program offerings provide recreational options for all ages 11U-13U.

Training and games are held at convenient, centralized, community locations in the Fort Collins area. Game format is played in a 7v7 format at the 11U-13U age group. Team sizes of 12-14 players ensures plenty of game time to apply the skills and techniques that are presented in the twice weekly curriculum based training.  Games are played on Fridays.

*Fort Collins currently only goes up to 13U in the recreational program. If you are older than 13U, please refer to the Fort Collins Competitive page.*

The Whole-Part-Whole (WPW) philosophy is a learning model used by the Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club to train age-appropriate curriculum aimed at the long-term development of a soccer player. The WPW philosophy was first outlined by Malcolm Knowles in 1973 and is used in many learning situations, both practical and theory based. When added to a well-planned and well-thought out pedagogy, the WPW philosophy will put players in realistic situations, that should always includes decision-making elements.

When coaching soccer, this can be used in a variety of ways to break down a technique, skill, or tactic. Most commonly the players are taken from a practice with high game context to a low one, before returning back to the original practice. When possible it is best to practice the game, or elements of the game, in their entirety. An example of this could occur in a topic such as ‘Defending in the Direct Game Channel’. What do you do if the individuals or units in your squad don’t understand how to defend 1v1 or 2v2? You break it down.

‘Whole’ doesn’t necessarily mean a game. Actually in this theory, a ‘whole’ practice could be a series of complex skills that can be broken down into more discrete skills. The ‘whole’ element should be as realistic to the game as possible, then the coach looks to pull actions or components of the game and break them down into chunks so the players can understand and digest the information. The coach will then pull those elements back together into the game situation.

References: Swanson, R.A. & Law, B. (1993). Whole-part-whole learning model. Performance Improvement Quarterly. 6(1), pp 43-53.

@coachdanwright. Coachdanwright.blogspot.co.uk

Fall Registration Opens: May 1, 2024

Fall Late Fee Begins: August 13, 2024

Fall Registration Closes: August 12, 2024

Fall Schedule:

**Please note these are the anticipated game days. If games are cancelled due to weather they will be moved to either the end of October or beginning of November. Games for the 11U-13U recreational divisions are played on Fridays.

Spring registration opens: November 1, 2024

Spring registration deadline (or when teams are full): February 28, 2025

Spring registration late fee: March 1, 2025

Training Starts: The week of March 10, 2025

First Games Kick-off: The week of March 17, 2024

Spring Schedule:

**Please note these are the anticipated game days. Weather-related cancellations will be moved to the end of May.

Scholarship opportunities are available for all qualifying Rapids players in both our Recreational and Competitive league programs. Check out our Scholarships page to learn more about the process and to apply for financial aid. There, you can view specific recreational scholarship information and deadlines under the ‘Recreational Application Process’ tab.

It is critical to apply by the deadlines listed on the scholarship page for players to be fully considered for a financial aid package. 

Every team is required to provide a volunteer coach to coach the team throughout the season. The volunteer coach is almost always a parent of a player on the team.

The coach will be provided with a curriculum from our staff for every session, and will be provided with other training opportunities throughout the season. Our staff will help support every coach throughout the season, so even if coaches have never played soccer before, we can help you have a successful season. We recommend that each team has a coach and an assistant coach at this age to help players stay engaged throughout every session.

Team managers are a very important piece to the success of any youth soccer team. In order to take some of the responsibilities off of the coach’s plate, teams are requested to have a team manager volunteer to organize the team for the season.