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The Skills Centre

"No child will feel comfortable with the ball in a match unless they have the ability to go past a player."
First Class Football (2011)

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Q: What can go through a child's mind when they are given the ball?

A: I must not mess this up! I don't want it! What do I do now?

The result:
They kick the ball as far and as hard as they can.

This response to a pressured situation can be understood as the ball quickly becomes someone elses responsibility. The question every coach, teacher, parent & fan should therefore be asking is "How can we develop players who do not panic, enjoy having the ball and are confident to use individual skills in pressured situations?"

The Skills Centre provides footballers of all abilities an opportunity to learn, practice and repeat individual techniques and skills at each individual's level. We believe that players shouldn't have to worry about what positions they are playing in and whether or not they are playing against "that fast kid". Instead, we encourage them to focus entirely on themselves, striving to be the best they can.

At First Class Football we appreciate the limitations that time and traditions place upon grassroots club coaches and that despite it being critisised, the introduction of "matches" from Under 7's actually limits the development of most children's techniques and individual skills. The FA to their credit are changing the way in which coaches are trained and how grassroots football is delivered, in the hope that we can produce players who enjoy having the ball and play beautiful football as typified by Spain & Brazil.

The First Class Football Skills Centre provides an opportunity for players to focus on the individual skills & techniques needed to maximise a players potential.

Children who attend the Skills Centre are taught in an environment where the emphasis is put on developing their own individual skills & techniques without the pressure of being in a team & playing in leagues/competitions.

Weekly sessions lasting 1 hour contain the following:
Fundamental Movement Development
Ball Mastery & Artistry
1v1 Attacking Skills
Technique Clinic
1v1, 2v2, 3v3 & 4v4 games & matches

Skills Centre Venues & Dates

Sessions begin in September and are open to children’s in years 2-9.
Each season contains 3 blocks of 10 weeks.

Dates for the 2011/2012
Week beginning:
Block 1 = Monday 19th September - Friday 2nd December
Block 2 = Monday 9th January - Friday 23rd March
Block 3 = Monday 16th April - Friday 29th June

Venue Details, Days & Times:
Tonbridge: Monday, 6pm-7pm @ Racecourse Sports Ground, The Slade
Cranbrook: Tuesday, 6pm-7pm @ Cranbrook School, Sports Hall (Starting Soon!)
Sevenoaks: Thursday, 6pm-7pm @ Knole Academy Astro-turf
Crowborough: Thursday, 6pm-7pm @ Beacon School Gym - Main Site
Tunbridge Wells: Friday, 6pm-7pm @ Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar 3G Astro-turf

Price £45 per block. Bookings can be made by completing the booking form below.

Group Sizes & Abilities

Groups are kept to a maximum of 16 children, with an average group size of 12. This maximises coach to player contact time.

With the emphasis on individuial development, each player will be set a multitude of challenges during each training session. Challenges will vary from other players on the group in recognition of each childs individual progress and abilities. No player will be placed in a grouop which will have adverse effects on their confidence.

The Skills Centre Academy

The Skill Centre Academy provides players who attend our Skills Centres an opportunity to play against professional clubs. Players are handpicked from across our Skills Centres to compete in a showcase game, where the emphasis is put on challenging yourself against proven opposition. These showcase games allow league scouts to identify any Skills Centre Academy players and invite them into their coaching program. Players will only be put forward to participate in these games after thorough consultation between coaches and parents.

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HOW TO BOOK:

Please complete the form below ensuring you have completed all of the fields. An email will be sent to you confirming your childs place at the Skills Centre and detailing payment methods.

I acknowledge and accept that First Class Football or the organisation providing facilities and their respective agents, servants or employees, are not under any liability in respect of personal injury, loss or damage caused whilst in attendance on the above football course.

The Journey from the Development Centre to The Skills Centre

We first launched the Development Centre in October 2003. The centre was based on a platform which we as coaches had experienced during our time spent at Wycombe Wanderers FC, Reading FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC & Charlton Athletic FC. The Development Centre provided oportunities for players to be given professional coaching in an area which suffered from not having a local professional club working in the community. Over the years the centre grew through reputation with the emphasis always being on the quality of coaching rather than the quantity of children. Friendly games were organised against local professional clubs and as hoped, many of our players were asked to join their training programmes. Clubs which have taken on our players include; Brighton & Hove Albion FC, Chelsea FC, Crystal Palace FC, Arsenal FC, Gillingham FC & Charlton Athletic FC.

Over the years the term "Development Centre" lost it's exclusiveness because so many coaching providers established them, all with varying success. The emphasis seems to sway towards playing as a team in the development centre and seeing which club you would play against. Any academy coach will tell you that the important elements to take from an "Academy/Development Centre" match is not the result, nor the name of opposition but instead how your players put into practice what you as the coach hav been working on.

It also became apparent that players were probably training too much as the demands of local club football, school football, academy football and county football each took it's toll. Over training at a young age is a serious issue as a tired player playing 4 times a week for example, will learn less than a rested playing focussing on fewer training sessions.

With all those concerns in mind, the Skills Centre was established inorder to support the work of club football coaches and to compliment the academy programmes run by professional clubs.

The Skills Centre has been created for the children, it focusses on their development and gives them the very best opportunity to maximise their potential whilst enjoying themselves in a happy and pressure free environment.

Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club

We have always had a fantsatic relationship with Brighton & Hove Albion FC, many of our previous "Development Centre" players have moved onto represent Brighton in their elite teams and we hope that the new Skills Centre will provide even more players for the Brighton coaches to choose from.

Throughout the year Brighton coaches and scouts will be invited down to monitor our Skill Centre players and their development. We hope that by encouraging our players to aspire to play for Brighton that this will have a positive effect on their development.

When possible, our Skills Centre Academy players (see above) will play friendly games against established Brighton teams of the same age, this will give all the players a chance to recreate the skills they have been taught and allow all the coaches to evaluate current levels of ability.