Skills Institute at North County Soccer Park
Skills Institute is where soccer takes center stage. Rooted in child development theory, kids have a blast learning and improving technical and tactical soccer skills. Players will walk away more confident, equipped for their next right step, and ready for life’s challenges on and off the field. Players enjoy 30 minutes of age-appropriate instruction and 20 minutes of small-sided scrimmaging.
Classes meet weekly for 50 minutes.
Open Enrollment, Join Anytime!
Mask Expectations: Coaches will be wearing masks at all times. Players are not required to wear masks. All spectators are required to wear masks whether indoors or outdoors.Thorough Sanitization Efforts: Dedicated staff use a child-safe, CDC recommended disinfectant to clean all equipment, commonly used areas and touched surfaces at the facility before, in between, and after classes. This ensure cleanliness and no possible COVID-19 contraction from any items or surfaces.New Check-In Model: Parents will check-in players to their coach at a designated area on the grass field, and will be walked onto the field with their team to avoid bottlenecks and traffic jams.Smaller Class Sizes: Class maximum is 8 children, down from 14 to create more space in class for play and distancing.Spectator Limits: We ask that only 1 Parent per Child attend class to keep the amount of people at our facility at a minimum and allow for more space.10 Extra Minutes Between Classes: A 20 minute buffer between classes allow for us to completely clean the facility and have the previous class hour completely gone before the new class hour arrives. This will help minimize traffic and congestion, and allow for total cleanliness of grounds.Modified Curriculum: Curriculum will have a new focus on personal space and hygiene to help children adjust to the new normal.Parent/Child Classes on Grass Field: Parent/Child classes have moved from the Stadium to the outdoor grass area. This leaves more space for play for Parent/Child classes which usually have more people on the field. It also frees up all classes on the Stadium field to each have their own quadrant and allow for more space.
Educate. Develop. Inspire.
Skills Institute Level Descriptions
AGES 5/6, 7/8, 9/10
8:1 CHILD-TO-COACH RATIO
AGES 5/6, 7/8, 9/10
BY RECOMMENDATION ONLY
8:1 CHILD-TO-COACH RATIO
AGES 5 – 7, 8 – 10
BY RECOMMENDATION ONLY
8:1 CHILD-TO-COACH RATIO
Skills Institute Level Descriptions
- AGES 5/6, 7/8, 9/10 YEARS
- 8:1 CHILD-TO-COACH RATIO
Classes focus on the fundamentals of player development: dribbling, passing, shooting, trapping and how to use them effectively in a game. Level 1 will take players through weekly sessions of fundamental skill building and competitive drills/games to build confidence and competence.
- AGES 5/6, 7/8, 9/10 YEARS
- BY RECOMMENDATION ONLY
- 8:1 CHILD-TO-COACH RATIO
Players well-suited for this class have level 1 or prior club experience. Classes focus on refining individual technique, positioning, strategy, speed and agility. Two things come together here; honing personal strengths and understanding how to use them to enhance team play. Coaches guide players towards mastering fundamentals, understanding correct field positioning and developing a strong Soccer IQ.
- AGES 5-7, 8-10 YEARS
- BY RECOMMENDATION ONLY
- 8:1 CHILD-TO-COACH RATIO
Find your place on the field. Whether you prefer a single position or want versatility, this challenging 50-minute class focuses on position-specific training. Players learn tactical insight and systems of play while building speed and agility. They will master fundamentals, position responsibilities, tactical approaches, and attacking/defending skills.
Class Locations
Poway
14530 Espola Rd., Poway, CA 92064
Escondido
3315 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido CA 92026
Skills Institute FAQ’s
Participants should wear comfortable clothes and athletic shoes (no outdoor cleats). Shinguards are recommended for Skills Institute classes. A Skills Institute jersey is given to first-time customers for free, and can thereafter be purchased at a low cost. Outfitting your child in Skills Institute garb is a fun way to make your child feel part of a team. Kids naturally appreciate looking like older uniformed kids and role models.
Each of our classes lasts 50 minutes with a water break halfway through. Between classes, there is a 10-minute break.
We offer four sessions a year (fall, winter, spring, summer) that break down into approximately 10-13 week cycles.
No, classes are 50 minutes and require a parent or guardian to be on-site at all times
Yes! We offer open enrollment so that you can join anytime and have your class fees prorated. This means that you pay only for the remaining class and not the full session fee.
The session needs to be paid in full at the time of registration to reserve your child’s spot. Please note that we offer open enrollment, we do prorate class fees.
You are able to make up any missed classes within the session in which you are enrolled.
Yes! We offer a sibling discount of $15.00 for each additional child registered as long as the children are registered at the same time.
No, in order to maintain class ratios and consistency within the program, we schedule children for specific times and days. When registering, be sure to first determine which day best suits your schedule. Of course there may be an occasion when a make-up class is needed. In that situation, you can schedule a make-up class for any day in which class space is available. If your schedule changes during the session, and you need to switch days, we will try to accommodate your needs to the best of our ability. However, changes cannot be guaranteed and are based on space availability.
To allow for quality instruction, Skills Institute provides a low player-to-coach ratio – 8:1.
Lil’ Kickers is a child development soccer program that teaches basic skills through fun, creative, and energetic games. Skills Institute also encourages age-appropriate child development and focuses on teaching more technical and tactical skills through various fast-paced, challenging and structured drills.
A higher level of specialized technical instruction is provided in Skills Institute classes, and the value of this instruction is priced accordingly.
Lil’ Kickers has always been a great resource for family fun and we love the partnerships we have with our families. We want to further that partnership with our new “Beyond the Pitch” blog. This platform gives us a place to provide a wider range of parenting support and resources to our Lil’ Kickers and Skills Institute families. So check it out! We hope you find it helpful and enjoy the content.