TL;DR: Littleton is a one-club town at the top of the ladder, and that club is a big one. Colorado Rush is recorded in Littleton and holds eight confirmed league places, the most of any Colorado club in our data: ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls, DPL, and NPL (2025-26). Next door in Englewood, Skyline Soccer Association holds an MLS NEXT place. A second Littleton club, Colorado United, has two records with MLS NEXT, Girls Academy, and DPL places, but both are still in review, so we name it without a link. No south-metro club publishes a competitive season fee. This guide lists facts, not rankings. The right club depends on which team your player is actually offered and how far you will drive at 5:30 PM.
Are you a club director in the south metro? Parents in Littleton, Englewood, Centennial, and Highlands Ranch search for program details every tryout season, and fees are the hardest thing for them to find. Claim your free ClubScout profile to verify your details, publish your cost ranges, and respond to parent reviews.
How This Guide Works
We do not rank clubs. For each one we list what our database confirms, what the club says about itself, and where our data runs thin. League affiliations come only from confirmed league records, not from club marketing. Littleton is a small slice of a large metro, so we also list the Denver-area clubs a south-metro family can realistically reach.
New to this? Start with how to choose a club, then the coach evaluation guide. For the whole metro, see Club Soccer in Denver. For the statewide picture, see Club Soccer in Colorado.
South Metro Clubs at a Glance
Listed from the deepest league ladder to the narrowest.
| Club | Leagues | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rush | ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls, DPL, NPL (2025-26) | Littleton | Flagship Lakewood/Littleton site; 7 Front Range locations |
| Skyline Soccer Association | MLS NEXT | Englewood | Thin record beyond the league place |
In review, not yet linked:
| Club | Leagues | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado United SC | MLS NEXT | Littleton | Probably the same club as the record below |
| Colorado United | Girls Academy, DPL | Littleton | Second record for the same name |
Within reach elsewhere in the metro:
| Club | Leagues | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Storm | ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls | Aurora | East along C-470 and I-225 |
| ALBION SC Denver | MLS NEXT, DPL | Denver | Trains in Aurora and central Denver |
| Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club | DPL, National Academy League | Denver | Youth arm affiliated with the Rapids |
| Colorado EDGE | ECNL Boys, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls | Arvada | Northwest metro; a long drive from Littleton |
For what these league names mean, see MLS NEXT, ECNL, DPL, NPL, and Girls Academy. NPL ended after 2025-26 and became the National 1 League (N1).
Read this before you compare anything. National ECNL, the ECNL Regional League, and Pre-ECNL are three different leagues. Pre-ECNL is a feeder tier, generally U9 through U12. Colorado Rush holds all three on both the boys' and girls' sides. When a club offers your player "our ECNL team," ask which of the three they mean. The travel, the cost, and the weekly commitment differ a lot. ECNL RL vs EDP vs NECSL explains where the regional tier sits.
The Littleton Club
Colorado Rush
Location: Littleton, CO (flagship Lakewood/Littleton site; main office in southeast Denver; more sites in Aurora, Thornton, Evergreen, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Northern Colorado) Leagues: ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls, DPL, NPL (2025-26) Gender: Boys and girls
Eight confirmed league places. No other Colorado club in our data holds more. Rush is a 501(c)(3) and part of the Rush network, which the club puts at more than 125 clubs worldwide.
The Lakewood/Littleton site is the flagship, and it runs the full ladder in one place. Per the club, that starts with Soccer Stars for ages 2 to 5 and runs through recreational soccer, a Youth Academy for U9 to U12, Junior and Senior Academy teams, and Elite boys and girls teams for U13 to U19. Seasonal programs at the site include futsal, a winter league, and summer camp. Club-wide, there is a College Advisory Program and a goalkeeping program. Leadership on record includes John Carroll as President and CEO and Mark Hiemenz as Executive Director.
What that depth means for a Littleton family. A player can move up or down a tier without changing clubs. That matters more than most families expect between U12 and U15, when players grow at very different rates. On the girls' side, Rush gives a Littleton family two national-tier choices in one club, ECNL Girls and DPL. Read DPL vs ECNL to see how they differ.
The trade-off. A club this size runs tryouts and teams per location. Our record says competitive tryouts at the Lakewood/Littleton site start at U11 to U12. Ask which site your player's team would train at, and whether the Elite team draws from the whole metro or from one region. A south-metro family can still end up driving across town if the team that wants their player trains somewhere else.
Next Door in Englewood
Skyline Soccer Association
Location: Englewood, CO Leagues: MLS NEXT Gender: Not confirmed
For a north Littleton family, Englewood is next door. Our record holds only the league place: no website, age groups, training sites, or staff. That makes it the hardest club in this guide to evaluate from the outside.
Treat the league place as verified and everything else as a question. Ask which age groups play in MLS NEXT, since many clubs hold a place only from U13 up. Then ask what sits underneath for younger players. Read what MLS NEXT is before you compare it with the ECNL teams across town.
In Review: Colorado United
Two Littleton records carry the Colorado United name, and both are still in review, so we do not link them yet. We think they describe one club, but we have not merged them, so we list each record's leagues separately.
- Colorado United SC holds an MLS NEXT place. This is the fuller record. It lists a headquarters and fields at 6558 South Acoma Street in Littleton, a structured goalkeeper development program with separate directors for boys and girls, and competitive, Copa, recreational, and TOPSoccer programs for players with disabilities. It also lists a futsal league, summer camps, and college recruiting support. Per the club, each competitive program runs its own tryout and team formation process.
- Colorado United holds Girls Academy and DPL places. Beyond the league places, this record holds no usable program detail.
If the two records are one club, Colorado United would be the only Littleton club with an MLS NEXT place on the boys' side and Girls Academy on the girls' side. We will not state that as fact until the records are merged. If you have a son and a daughter, ask the club directly which top-tier programs it runs for 2026-27. Girls Academy vs DPL explains the two girls' leagues on the second record.
One more name you will hear: Real Colorado. Our data holds three Real Colorado records, but none of them records a city yet, so we cannot place the club in Littleton or anywhere else. Ask the club where its teams train.
What Club Soccer Costs in the South Metro
No south-metro club with a live profile publishes a competitive season fee. The ranges below are modeled from comparable programs, not taken from local club sites. Treat them as a planning envelope, not a quote.
| Level | Estimated Annual Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MLS NEXT / ECNL | $6,000–$12,000+ | National showcases, often flights |
| ECNL RL | $3,800–$8,000 | Regional conference play |
| DPL / NPL (now N1) | $3,200–$6,000 | DPL is the widest girls' league in the metro |
| Pre-ECNL (U9–U12) | $2,000–$4,200 | The feeder tier |
| State-league competitive (CSA) | $2,000–$4,500 | Where many Colorado travel players land |
| Junior academy (U7–U10) | $800–$2,100 | Every club names it differently |
These are totals including kit ($150–$400 in year one), tournament entries, and family travel, not dues alone. Most clubs run a two-year uniform cycle, so ask whether next season is year one or year two before you order. Ask how winter training works too. October through April can push teams onto turf and indoor futsal, and some clubs charge for that separately. For the Colorado numbers line by line, see our Colorado cost breakdown. For ways to spend less, see our budget guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Colorado Rush the only real option in Littleton?
For a club with a live profile in Littleton itself, yes. Colorado Rush is the one. That is less limiting than it sounds, because Rush covers eight leagues and runs rec through Elite at one site. The real choice for most Littleton families is which Rush tier fits, not which club. If you want a second opinion on the ECNL ladder, Colorado Storm in Aurora holds the same three ECNL tiers on both sides.
Where is the MLS NEXT option for a south-metro boy?
The closest live profile is Skyline Soccer Association in Englewood. Across the metro, ALBION SC Denver also holds an MLS NEXT place. Colorado United SC in Littleton holds one too, but its record is still in review. Read MLS NEXT vs ECNL before you weigh one league against the other.
What are the options for girls?
Colorado Rush holds ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Girls, and DPL places. Elsewhere in the metro, ALBION SC Denver and Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club both hold DPL places. Colorado United, in review, holds Girls Academy and DPL places on one of its records. Our girls club soccer guide is a good place to start, and the coach matters more than the league name.
When do south-metro clubs hold tryouts?
Our records hold no confirmed dates for these clubs this season. Rush lists tryouts per location, and its Lakewood/Littleton site holds competitive tryouts from U11 to U12 up. Colorado United SC runs a separate tryout for each competitive program. MLS NEXT and ECNL clubs can start as early as April, so check each club's site from March on, and do not assume one window covers the metro.
How much does the commute matter?
More than league tier, for most families. Littleton sits on C-470 and Santa Fe Drive, which is good for reaching Lakewood and Englewood and slow for reaching Aurora or Arvada at rush hour. A club 15 miles away can be a 45-minute drive at 5:30 PM. Families who leave a club mid-pathway most often name the drive, not the coaching. Drive the route at practice time before you commit.
My kid isn't ready for a national-league team. What are the options?
Good ones, and some are inside the same club. Rush runs ECNL RL and Pre-ECNL teams below national ECNL, plus academy and recreational programs. Colorado United SC lists competitive, Copa, and recreational programs below its top tier. Starting a tier lower at a club with a ladder is almost always better than starting a tier too high at a club without one. See recreational vs. travel soccer.
Our club changed age groups this year. Why?
Many leagues are moving from birth-year to school-year age groups for 2026-27. A player with a summer birthday may land on a different team than last year. Our age group change guide explains what is changing and what to ask.
What to Do Next
- Find out which tier you are actually being offered. National ECNL, ECNL RL, and Pre-ECNL are three different leagues with three different budgets. Ask before you plan anything else.
- Ask which site your team trains at. At a multi-site club like Rush, the club's address is not the field's address.
- Ask to join a session, not just watch one. Many clubs will allow a trial session if asked. A session your kid plays in tells you more than any website.
- Ask for the all-in annual number in writing. No club here publishes a competitive season fee. Ask what is excluded: kit, tournament entries, winter futsal, summer training, and state registration.
- Ask two questions at tryouts. How many players are on the game-day roster? How many teams share the field during training?
More Resources
- Club Soccer in Denver
- Club Soccer in Colorado
- How Much Does Club Soccer Cost in Colorado?
- How to Choose a Club Soccer Club
- How to Evaluate a Youth Soccer Coach
- Compare All Youth Soccer Leagues Side by Side
- DPL vs ECNL
- Girls Academy vs DPL
- Club Soccer on a Budget
- Club Soccer Age-by-Age Guide: U8 Through U18
- Youth Soccer Glossary