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Time to skill

The season might have ended just under a fortnight ago but the Cliftonville FC Skill School continues throughout the summer, with young players aged 4-9 invited to come along and showcase their talents at Solitude.

Running every Monday and Wednesday at 4.45pm – and at a cost of just £3 – the Skill School is the Club’s community programme, providing the perfect sporting environment for boys and girls of all abilities to improve their social, interactive and footballing skills.

“Training is based on ball manipulation and small-sided games, with the focus on kids having fun in a simplified environment,” explains Head of Youth Development, Marc Smyth.

“We have a curriculum throughout the Academy based on age-specific and individual player development. Within this structure, we run Under-7 and Under-6 teams that play in our games programme every Saturday morning.

“This year’s Under-7s will move into the Academy on July 16, when we’ll have three teams for the first time. The majority of players within our current Under-10s, Under-9s and Under-8s have come through the Skill School, which shows the importance and strength of this programme.

“August will see us having two teams at Under-7 and Under-6 for the first time and shows the continued growth within our Academy and the community. August will also see us start our homework programme, with kids monitoring themselves and the team after games. That will allow us to identify any potential confidence issues etc and gives kids responsibility.”

The Cliftonville FC Skill School’s next session is 4.45pm this Monday, so why not bring your son, daughter, niece, nephew or grandchild along and let them experience the fun for themselves?