To understand our Player Placement Process, you first must understand its objective.
The objective of Roaring Fork United’s player placement process is to place players on teams that provide the most developmentally appropriate level of play. Long-term player development starts by building a structure that requires coaches and club staff to observe, monitor and identify player progress throughout a season or year. Traditional tryouts create undue stress for players and parents alike. A year-long evaluation process provides a more accurate and in-depth look of each individual player.
Based on coach and club staff evaluations, Roaring Fork United is able to gain a strong sense of the developmentally appropriate level of play for those players already participating in the Club, and on what team individual players should compete to maximize player development. This system provides a more accurate placement of most players and has distinct advantages over tryout events.
Here are some reasons why:
Players should be evaluated on what they have done all year, including non-physical qualities like commitment, perseverance, dedication, and leadership. A tryout situation, on its own, does not allow for as meaningful an evaluation of those qualities. For these reasons, Roaring Fork United has determined that the traditional team tryout process is not appropriate for our club.
Which RF United Teams use the Player Placement Process?
Player Placement is utilized in selecting teams for the Advanced League only. Academy, All Valley, and Mountain Region Teams do not use player placement for selection to teams. Selection to these teams is based on time of registration, practice days and location preferences, and teammate requests. While not all requests can be accommodated, requests received before August 1st for fall and December 31st
for spring will receive priority based on the date of registration. Once team rosters are filled, players will be placed on the next most appropriate team with openings.
What does a player need to do to be evaluated for player placement on an Advanced League Team?
To show interest in being evaluated for an Advanced League team, players can register for Step 1 of Advanced League registration on www.RoaringForkUnited.org. This has a $25 fee and will identify a player to the coaching and club staff as an interested player for evaluation. While all coaches are asked to evaluate their players, this process will identify players who have interest in playing in Advanced League regardless of their current team placement.
Advanced League registrations use a two-step process to allow for appropriate player placement before families make a financial commitment.
Procedures for Advanced League Player Placements
Advanced League Registration Deadlines 2024-2025
What is the commitment to play in the Advanced League?
What are the options if a player is not selected for the team that they desire?
Colorado Soccer Association (CSA) allows for players, within the same club, to guest play on any team within a two-year age group. Players may guest play up in age group but may not play below their chronological birth year. With the Club Pass Rule, players on any RF United roster may be invited to play on another RF United team when players are needed, as determined by game day roster needs or player potential. Coaches adding Club Pass players to their roster must inform the Club registrar the Wednesday of that week. This is called the Club Pass.
