The Rapids Classic | AUGUST

The Rapids Classic are the perfect pre-season competition to prepare for your season for competitive teams at the start of the Spring 2025 season. With 600+ teams registering with us for 2 consecutive years, The Rapids Classic continues to be the go-to event for soccer teams across the US for Fall pre-season soccer.

5 Reasons To Choose the Classic This Fall:

1. Top-Notch Customer Support: Teams are provided weekly updates, tutorial videos, and step-by-step walkthroughs for coaches/managers.

2. Multi-Team Conflict Guarantee: We guarantee ALL coaches with 2 teams will have ZERO conflicts & play games at the same facility!

3. Facility Quality & Proximity: High-quality facilities all conveniently located near the Denver Metro Area make attending the event easy.

4. Elite 11U-19U Divisions: The Elite Divisions offer our most comptitive teams the strongest competition to prepare for the season.

5. 80% Weather Refund: Registrants will receive an 80% refund should the event be canceled entirely due to weather.

Pre-Registration Information

Teams should register and play according to the 2025 Fall season. We will follow US Soccer’s Age Group Guidelines based on birth year. Elite Divisions will comprise the highest level of teams registered. You should register your team for placement according to the below hierarchy: 

Team Placement Recommendations:

• ELITE DIVISIONS: 
  • Regional & National Platforms
  • MLS Nxt, ECNL, ECRL, GAL, DPL, etc.
• GOLD A/B DIVISIONS:
  • 10U & Below: FRL Premier & Citywide Gold
  • 11U-19U: CSA P1-P3 & Stronger CSA Elite teams
• SILVER A/B DIVISIONS:
  • 10U & Below: FRL Silver 1 & Silver 2
  • 11U-19U: CSA Elite, Platinum, & Stronger Gold
• BRONZE A/B DIVISIONS:
  • 10U & Below: FRL Bronze 1/2 + Rec Teams
  • 11U-19U: CSA Silver & Bronze + Rec Teams

 The division breakdown is an estimate, and the specific levels of teams that register in each age group will determine where teams are placed.

• Example: If there are not many CSA P3 & Elite teams, then CSA Gold teams will likely be placed in the Gold Division.

The Registration Timelines:

• Early Bird Registration Pricing ends at 11:59 PM on July 10th, 2025.
  • **A $100 late fee is added on top of posted prices for all registrations received after this date.*
• Registration Fee Increase: This will occur at 12:01 AM on July 11th, 2025.
• The FINAL Registration Deadline will be at 5:00 PM on July 17th, 2025.
  • Teams waitlisted will be notified no later than July 18th, 2025 of their acceptance into the event.
•  Waitlists:
  • If your team is waitlisted, this means that your age group might be filled to capacity. If you are waitlisted, please contact Tournament Staff for clarification on your application status.
  • Click HERE to email our staff!

Acceptance Process:

• Registration will open on May 1st, 2025.
• Acceptances will begin on May 1st, 2025.
• If your team is traveling for this event, please reach out directly to check the status of your application.
• We can accommodate early acceptances for traveling teams to help them plan their trips by accepting teams sooner.

Payment Process:

• Payment is NOT processed when you register or when you are accepted.
• Teams can pay their own fees online through the following steps:
  • Log into GotSport and click on “Team Management”, then “Registrations”.
  • In “Registrations”, click on the team name next to “Rapids Classic – 2025”
  • In the registration pop-up, at the top click on “Billing”.
  • In “Billing”, click on “Pay Now” next to “TOTAL BALANCE”.
• All payments MUST be completed before August 11th, 2025!
• Any unpaid fees will be charged to the card on file on August 12th, 2025.

Bracketing & Ranking Process:

• Tournament Brackets:
  • Brackets will be released to teams on July 23rd, 2025
  • Placement will be based on the questions you answered in the application as well as your GotSoccer ranking and league standings.
  • Please ensure to answer all questions HONESTLY and ACCURATELY.
• Ranking Process:
  • Once registration is closed, teams in each age group are ranked numerically, starting with 1.
  • Rankings are based on:
    • The difficulty of your League Schedule (I.e. what division you are in)
    • Most recent League Standings & Records (I.e. how well you did in that league)
    • Future team placement by CSA (I.e. if CSA is moving you up or down)
    • League Goal Differential (I.e. Helps differentiate teams in similar league standing)
    • Questions answered within our Application Process
    • The “Soccer Rankings” app will be used as a final cross-reference for team placement based on their team ratings composed from over 400 soccer databases.
  • Once rankings are complete, teams are 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 the standard ranking procedure for top youth sports tournaments across the country.

Schedule Information:

• Schedules will be released to teams on July 31st, 2025.
• 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 before July 17th 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”

Teams Traveling From Out of State or Far Distances:

• Thursday & Friday should used as travel days to arrive in Denver, Colorado.
• If you plan to travel on Friday, please plan to arrive in Denver BEFORE 3:00 PM on Friday, 8/15/2025.
• 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.

Post-Registration Information

Team managers, administrators, and tournament staff: Please follow the guidelines in the document linked above.

This document includes information regarding:

Crucial Next Steps
The Payment Process
Hospitality Info | THS
The Roster Approval Process
The Team Check-In Process
Refereeing & Pregame Info
Schedule Details & Locations
Weather-Related Information
Additional Event Information
GotSport Help Links

Facility Information | The 2025 Rapids Classic

Expected Locations for Teams:

• 7V7 Games – Locations Are TBD (Spread between Gates North & South and Dove Valley, with a few at DSGP/ASP)
• 9V9 Games – Locations Are TBD (Spread between Gates North & South and Dove Valley, with a few at DSGP/ASP)
• 11v11 Games – Locations Are TBD (Likely to be at DSGP, ASP, and a few at Gates South)
• ELITE DIVISIONS – 11v11 Elite Divisions will be at DSGP.

Expected Game Times For The Weekend:

• Thursday, August 14th, 2025:
  • 7v7 – Some local teams will  play between 5:30 PM and 9:30 PM
  • 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 15th, 2025:
  • 7v7 – Some teams MAY play from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM (All teams eligible, including out-of-state teams)
  • 9v9 – Some teams MAY play from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM (All teams eligible, including out-of-state teams)
  • 11v11 – Some teams MAY play from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM (All teams eligible, including out-of-state teams)
• Saturday, August 16th, 2025:
  • All ages, all day from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
• Sunday, August 17th, 2025:
  • All ages, all day from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM

Out-of-State Team Travel Recommendations:

• Inbound Travel: We highly recommend using Thursday as your travel day.
  • If you must travel on Friday, please plan to arrive in Denver Friday afternoon before 3:00 PM.
  • If your coach has 2+ teams, this is highly encouraged as it allows our team to schedule a Friday evening match that can de-congest your weekend schedule.
• Outbound Travel: All championships should be over by 5:30 PM. Please plan outbound travel after 6:00 PM, especially flights home!

Weather, External Conditions, and Cancellations

Click the button above for more information regarding our CRYSC Tournaments Weather Protocol.

The Tournament Leadership staff is committed to providing exceptional experiences for our participants. Weather is never in our control, but how we plan, prepare, and react to anything that comes our way is under our control. We stand united to provide clear communication, best-case-scenario solutions, and do everything in our power to play all games at every event.

Most Important Weather-Related Information: 

1. Where To Find Weather-Related Updates
   • Posts Online: Weather updates will be posted online in real-time in 2 locations: 
     • Location 1: The GotSport Schedule Page (Event Alert @ Top of Page)
     • Location 2: The Tournament Website (Event Alert @ Top of Page)
     • These will be updated within 15 minutes from when a delay starts. 
   • Announcements On-Site: Event Staff will make on-site announcements:
     • Facility Speaker System: Some facilities have Speakers that will be used. 
     • Bull Horns: Event Staff will also have multiple bull horns & make announcements while driving on golf carts through parking lots.
     • Announcements will be made in real-time as updates come across. 
2. Games Past Halftime are Called FINAL after 60 minutes of Delays
   • If a delay exceeds 60 minutes, any games in progress will be called final at their time of stoppage if a game has reached halftime or is in the second half.
3. Weather-Related Refund Policy:
   • 80% refund – 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.
4. Weather-Monitoring Software:
   • State-of-the-art radar software (WX Sentry) is used to make weather-based decisions. 
   • The software can read storm speed/direction, strength/size, and any lightning strikes that may be within a 30-mile radius, 15-mile radius, and 10-mile radius.
   • Only WxSentry will be used to make weather-related decisions.
   • This is the same software used by the DSGP Stadium for MLS Protocol, so we trust it more than any other software or app.

We have partnered with Tournament Housing Services (THS) to handle all of your tournament hospitality needs. Teams and families in need of overnight accommodations are REQUIRED to Stay & Save by booking through our official housing service. THS offers access to exclusive, discounted hotel options conveniently located near the tournament playing sites.  With legendary customer support, THS is certain to deliver a seamless housing experience while you Stay, Play, and Save!

Contact THS with any housing questions:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 908-979-0928
• Toll-Free: 888-536-8326

STAY and SAVE with THS to take advantage of the benefits below and so much more. Here are the 6 major benefits of booking with THS:

• Real-Time Hotel Availability
• Lowest Rate Guarantee
• No Hidden Booking Fees
• Flexible Cancellations & Change Policies
• Team-Friendly Group Block Tools
• Day of Arrival & Post Event Support

In the button above you will find articles written by GotSport that can assist you with…

1. Building Your Roster

2. Adding Guest/Club Pass Players

3. How to Upload Documents

4. How to Update Your Profile

5. How to Update Contact Information

…Any many, many more of your easily-answered questions! You are just a few clicks away from the help you need! 

If you still need assistance, please feel free to choose between the options below:

1. Submit a Support Request on GotSport by clicking the BLUE “Support” button on the GotSport website.

2. Contact us directly through email by CLICKING HERE!