DENVER — It’s officially game week for the Colorado Rapids, and the club is marking the start of the season by giving back to the community.
The Rapids hosted a youth soccer clinic in downtown Denver, where children trained alongside several first-team players and received free soccer balls as part of the event.
The clinic is tied to the club’s new kit launch and a broader push to expand youth access to the sport across Colorado.
“With our new kit launch this year, we were thinking about the activation that we wanted associated with that — we really wanted to double down on youth access to soccer and expand our reach across the entire state,” said Caitlin Kinser, the club’s vice president of community impact. “Over the next two years, in partnership with UCHealth, we’ll be giving away 10,000 soccer balls.”
Defender Rob Holding said the initiative resonates with his own childhood memories.
“As a kid, I’d love to have a free ball. I used to take a ball with me everywhere,” Holding said. “If we were going to the supermarket, my mom and dad would be pushing the cart and I’d just be kicking a football around the aisles. Hopefully there’s some hidden talent out there, and we’ll probably see it in 10, 15 years.”
Defender Jackson Travis said working with young players is especially meaningful.
“This was me not too long ago,” Travis said. “Being able to help run an event like this with the kids, it’s surreal. It just goes to show these kids can all be in the same position we’re in one day.”
The clinic is part of the "Rapids Road Show" which is a statewide outreach tour that will also include stops in Greeley, Steamboat Springs, Grand Junction and Pueblo this week. The events are free and open to the public.
On the field, the Rapids enter the season with a new coaching staff and a fresh “Colorful Colorado” kit, fueling optimism around the club.
“The biggest word we’ve integrated into the team this year is dominance,” Travis said. “No matter what team we play, we want to go out and dominate.”
Holding said new head coach Matt Wells has set a clear objective.
“Coach has made it pretty clear that he wants to win the trophy at the end of the season,” Holding said. “Everyone’s on board with that. If we get off to a good start, everyone will start to believe it.”
The Rapids open the season this Sunday on the road against the Seattle Sounders and they'll be back home the following weekend to host Portland.
