Mission Statement

North City Youth Baseball (NCYB) is a parent/volunteer run organization. Our mission at NCYB is to provide a safe, competitive, environment that teaches the youth of our community about leadership, teamwork, and good sportsmanship all in conjunction with teaching the core fundamentals and rules of the game in a recreational environment.   

North City Youth Baseball

P.O. Box 178066

San Diego, CA 92177

NCYB Difference

Solid, stable league

A league of 350 players makes it large enough to have 6-10 teams in each division but small enough that you get to know lots of parents and players Although many leagues around the country have seen declining numbers of participation, NCYB has maintained the same level for years (even growing over the past several)

High quality fields

NCYB is known for creating and maintaining some of the most lush, green, smooth fields in San Diego County. With two facilities within 10 minutes of each other, (Mt. Etna Fields and Hickman Fields) North City has double the number of fields available for games/practices compared to most other leagues.  This is a big advantage over other leagues that have limited field access.  This means no travelling around the county for league play or practice.  You always know you are playing at the North City fields.

Knowledgeable managers/coaches. This is the result of several elements:

• NCYB generally has more potential managers than actual positions. The board of directors formally interviews each candidate selecting only the most qualified based on both knowledge and temperament.
• Managers and coaches are required to attend manager clinics, which provide skills to brand new coaches and continually improve the more experienced managers.
• Independent division representatives work with managers throughout the season to provide feedback.
• Parent survey of their manager/coaching staff at the end of each season, parents formally rate the manager and coaching staff through a league-wide survey comprised of a variety of questions. The board uses this information in selecting the next crop of managers, as well as identifying areas the league needs to improve – taking specific action to do so.

Parental Involvement

There are a wide-range of volunteers within NCYB making it an extremely well-run league.

Potential for Sunday games

If a division grows to eight or more teams we have the ability to have games on Sunday afternoons at both locations. 

 Snack Bars

Snacks and treats available at both Mt. Etna Fields and Hickman Fields

NCYB Facilities

The Best Fields in San Diego, located in Clairemont NCYB is fortunate to occupy two major baseball complexes, which are within 1.5 miles of each other. This means we have a much greater ability to simultaneously have fields available for both games and practices. There are nine playing fields and a total of three batting cages between the two facilities.

Our Shetland (ages 5-6), Pinto (ages 7-8), Mustang (ages 9-10) and Bronco (ages 11-12) divisions play at both of our facilities, while the Pony Division plays only at the Hickman complex. The 4741 Mt Etna Drive facility is in the heart of Clairemont, while the Hickman Athletic facility is on the border of Clairemont and Kearny Mesa.

North City prides itself on maintaining the best fields in Clairemont.  Nothing destroys a player's will to stay down on a ground ball when they consistently can't trust a hard ground ball won't take a bad hop to the face. 

Unlike most youth complexes, the city does not maintain our playing surfaces which means North City completely controls all aspects of our fields. Our diamonds are completely re-tooled every off season, with laser-leveling to remove lips that create those bad hops, new dirt added to the infields, grinding out high/low spots in the outfield, and new seeding.  League-run field maintenance supervisors oversee all aspects of the facilities year-round.  And Turf 'n Dirt, the premier athletic field management company in the county, professionally maintains all our fields 52 weeks a year including regular fertilizing, over-seeding. 

The result is velvet smooth infield skins, and lush green outfield surfaces.  Come out to our fields and take a look for yourself.  Chances are you never played on a baseball field like this when you were a kid!

Boundaries

Currently there are open boundaries for Pony League Baseball.  That means players residing anywhere in San Diego County are eligible to play at North City Youth Baseball in Clairemont.  

League History

In 2010 North City Youth Baseball absorbed both Clairemont Mesa Little League (ages 5-12) as well as Clairemont Pony League (which had a single division of players aged 13-14). Both NCYB and CMLL have a long history in San Diego.

In the 1950s, when the community of Clairemont was being constructed, the need for youth sports organizations became evident with all the new, young families moving in. A number of little leagues popped up in the area, including the North Clairemont and Clairemont Mesa Little Leagues. The NCLL played its games on fields located at what we know today as the Clairemont Square shopping center and CMLL was located on land where the 805 freeway now runs.

“North Clairemont” Little League becomes “North City” PONY League

As Clairemont grew, new land was being graded and leveled for new homes. In the late 1960s, a group of Clairemont residents noticed the developers were dumping a great deal of the left over dirt from grading into a nearby canyon of Mt Etna Drive. In 1971, this group leveled and groomed the dirt in the canyon to create what is now our Mustang and Bronco fields.

In 1972, Mr. Frank Morales asked utility companies to dump the excess dirt generated from the undergrounding of utility lines into the hole set just outside the Mustang field. He later utilized a tractor to level and compact the dirt inside the canyon to make what is now the Pinto field. This new leveled piece of land then became the new home of the North Clairemont Little League.

However, in the early 1980s, under the leadership of league president, Tom Klauda, the North Clairemont Little League changed its affiliation from Little League to Pony Youth Baseball. This change allowed for more aggressive and competitive play for the league’s players. The change also required the league lose its “North Clairemont” name. It was decided the new league should be called, “North City” to maintain the “NC” logo the league had nurtured up to that point.

Clairemont Little League’s Honorable History

On December 4, 1959, a young pilot from the Miramar Naval Air Station named Joe Hickman was flying over the Clairemont community when his jet experienced a “flameout”. With his jet gliding towards a playground full of children at Hawthorne Elementary, Ensign Hickman did not bail out, but rather sacrificed himself and guided his jet into a canyon next to the school.

In the late 1960s, with plans to run the new 805 freeway through their fields, CMLL was forced to relocate. The U.S. Navy allowed CMLL to lease a small corner of the Miramar Naval Air Station’s land for a price of $1 per year. This new site for CMLL became known as Hickman Fields in honor of the brave pilot who sacrificed himself for the many children at the school, some of whom probably played the first games at that location.

Joe Hickman

In the 50s, 60s, and 70s NCLL and CMLL enjoyed large league sizes as the children of Clairemont competed for local bragging rights. However, throughout the 80s, 90s and 2000s, both leagues saw their numbers fluctuate as the population of Clairemont and surrounding communities changed.

In 2010, with their league's participation dangerously low, both Clairemont Pony and Clairemont Mesa Little League approached North City about joining forces in an effort to ensure baseball continues to be played on the Hickman Field site. With the absorption of those players, North City’s numbers are as strong as they have been in over 20 years.

Today, the new North City Youth Baseball league consists of five divisions and enjoys the use of 9 NCYB-controlled and maintained baseball diamonds, as well as other additional practice fields throughout Clairemont. As in years past, the continued support and volunteerism of community members like you will ensure we handover a strong, competitive and first-class youth baseball league to the next generation of North City families.