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Coaching role and responsibility > Howzat!: the process of athlete selection
Howzat!: the process of athlete selection
Issue: Volume 30 Number 1
‘Not out’, decrees the umpire!
‘But his leg was in front of the wicket and the ball was a good length and I am sure it was going to hit middle and off stump about six inches below the bails,’ says the bowler.
‘Not out,’ affirms the umpire.
‘But…but…but!!,’ wails the bowler.
‘Not out means not out!!’
In the course of a sporting event, the umpire or referee reigns supreme and there is no recourse to appeal against their decision. Some might argue that this is a denial of natural justice, but the rules of the game, including the ultimate authority of the umpire, are well documented and understood.
However, in other areas of sport the often contentious issue of athlete selection can lead to long and protracted appeals.
The process of athlete selection to a team should be a relatively simple process — the best athlete should be selected ahead of another athlete who does not perform as well. But who decides what the criteria are that determines who the better athlete is, how do people get to know what these criteria are, and are they the same from sport to sport, team to team, etc.
The following factors are just some that need to be taken into account when a sporting body considers how to establish a selection policy.
When is a selection policy required?
Natural justice activists would probably argue that there should be a policy anytime a coach or sporting body has to select one athlete over another. The reality is, however, that this impractical, as the implication is that the coach of an under-5 soccer team would need to have a documented policy setting out how they are going to pick their team to compete in the Saturday morning local mini-soccer game.
It is far more realistic to consider implementing a formal selection policy when representative team selections are to be made. This is the level where athletes are competing against each other for selection to a particular team or event, and often there are more athletes competing for selection than places available.
Who is eligible for selection?
This needs to be clearly stated so that only those who are eligible can be considered for selection. For example, in some cases age eligibility needs to be stated; in other cases it needs to be stated that only athletes who have registered and are financial members of the association will be considered for selection.
What should go into a selection policy?
A selection policy should provide sufficient detail so that a reader can answer the following questions:
What is being selected?
The purpose and/or philosophy behind the selection criteria should be clearly articulated at the beginning of the selection policy. For example, the selection policy of an under-15 boys state volleyball team could have an opening statement that says:
The ACT Volleyball Association (ACTVA) supports the early identification and development of potential AIS athletes. ACTVA believes that the Under-15 National Volleyball Championships provides an ideal opportunity for AIS coaches to identify potential AIS scholarship athletes. Accordingly, ACTVA will give preference in the selection of athletes for the ACT Under-15 National Volleyball Championships to those who have the greatest potential to be recruited to the AIS Men’s Volleyball program.
An alternative opening statement for the same team could be:
The ACT Volleyball Association (ACTVA) will select players for the Under-15 National Volleyball Championships who will achieve the best possible result for the ACT at these championships.
Obviously there is a different purpose/philosophy behind each of these statements. By clearly stating these at the beginning of a selection policy the reader should be left with no uncertainty.
Who is doing the selecting?
One of the easiest things to get right is to identify who will form the selection panel. This may be one person (for example, the head coach), or it could be a panel of people that may or may not include the coach. Whoever is on the selection panel must be unbiased. Members of the selection panel do not have to be ‘experts’, but ideally the panel should have a range of expertise that can assist in the process of applying the selection policy to a list of potential athletes.
Regardless of how many people and who these people are, it is important to identify the selection panel in the selection policy. It is also important to include a ‘conflict of interest’ clause that details what will happen if one or more of the selection panel has a conflict of interest. Possible wording of this statement could be:
All members of the selection panel will be required to declare any conflict of interest. In the event that a conflict of interest is declared, that person will take no further part in the selection process.
A clause such as this helps to protect the integrity of the decision-making process.
How does an athlete get selected?
Once the purpose/philosophy is established, the criteria that is used to evaluate potential athletes should clearly spell out what an athlete must do (for example, what events they need to compete in and what standards they must achieve) and should advise what the selection period is.
Ideally these criteria should be as clear and unambiguous as possible. In some sports, most notably individual sports, this should be relatively easy to achieve as there is often an objective standard such as time, distance, finish position or judge’s score against which athletes can be directly compared. In establishing these criteria, it must be made clear to the reader what events/competitions will be used. It is also essential that when a selection policy is written, it does not use any retrospective results to select athletes.
For many sports, such as team sports, there is no single objective measure that can be used to compare one athlete against another. Often the decision is a subjective one based on many interconnected factors. In these situations it is critical that the process, time frames and events/competitions that will be reviewed by the selector/s are well documented, so that the athlete knows where and when they must compete in order to be considered for selection.
In other situations an objective result may be available, but a degree of subjectivity needs to be applied. An example of this could be in the sport of triathlon where a team is being selected for a world championship to be held in hot, humid conditions on a tough and hilly bike and run course.
In this situation it may not be relevant to base selection on a particular World Cup race that is held in cool conditions over a relatively flat course. It may be best to have the policy read:
Selection will be based on performances in World Cup races held during the seventh to last-month period immediately prior to the world championships (performances in World Cup races held in the month immediately prior to the world championships will not be considered, as the selection panel has determined that it is not in Australia’s best interests to have athletes risk fatigue and/or injury by trying to earn selection during the month immediately prior to the world championships).
Athletes will be selected on the basis of their performances during these World Cup races. The selection panel will especially consider head-to-head performances of Australian athletes from these World Cup races and will pay particular attention to performances in World Cup races that have similar characteristics (heat, humidity, course profile) to those expected at the world championships.
What can an athlete do if not selected?
The principles of natural justice dictate that everyone should have the right to appeal against a decision that affects them.
This does not mean, however, that anyone can appeal against anything. It simply means that if an athlete wishes to appeal against their non-selection then there is a detailed process and set of guidelines that must be followed.
Generally the grounds for a selection appeal are along the following lines:
- the selectors did not follow the procedures laid out in the policies, rules, regulations and/or criteria of the organisation
- there was an error in the information on which the decision was based
- members of the decision-making group were influenced by bias
- the decision reached was grossly unfair or unreasonable.
Typically the appeal policy will set out the following:
- Who can appeal against a decision (this should be limited to the person affected by the decision)?
- Who comprises the appeal panel?
- What can be appealed? A good appeal policy will define the limits of an appeal. This is often referred to as the ‘grounds for appeal’ and sets out what a person can appeal against.
- What are the process and time lines for submitting an appeal?
- How will the appeal hearing be conducted?
- What should be done in the case where the appellant is still not satisfied with the decision? Many sports attempt to provide mediation or have a number of internal processes to hear an appeal before having the dispute resolved by a higher authority, such as the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This avenue should only be used as a last resort.
Summary
A selection policy should be as clear and as simple as possible. Ideally it should not be a document full of legal jargon but should be something that anyone can pick up, read and understand what needs to be done in order to gain selection for a particular team and/or event.
The reality is, however, that as the importance of the selection increases (for example, being selected for an Olympic team), the complexity of the selection document also increases.
For examples of selection policies, review websites from a range of national and state sporting organisations, as well as the Australian Olympic Committee.
An excellent website for anyone wanting to access a range of resources dealing with selection policies is the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada website, on the website, there is a set of guidelines for writing selection criteria (see related links). The Australian Sports Commission also has a booklet, Getting it Right: guidelines for selection, which is available through ASC Publishing (see related links).
