Selection Policy

Great Britain Olympic Hockey

Selection Policy

January 2007

Selection Policy

  1. Objectives

1.1To select athletes that will form teams to achieve the best possible results in Olympic Games, Olympic Qualifiers and Champions Trophy/Challenge.

1.2To select athletes for minor International matches and development events that have the best chance of contributing to major tournament success in future.

1.3To employ an open and fair selection process that gives all athletes a chance to challenge for International selection

  1. Eligibility

2.1.To be eligible for selection, an athlete must hold, or be eligible to hold, a British passport.

2.2.For Great Britain selection, they must be affiliated to a Home Country Governing Body, and not have played for another senior International team (other than England, Scotland or Wales) in an FIH competition in the previous 3 years.

2.3.An athlete must not be ineligible to compete at the Games by virtue of the operation of the BOA’s Bye-law on “Eligibility for Membership of Team GB of Persons Found Guilty of a Doping Offence”.

  1. Selection Framework

Hockey is a team sport. Whilst athletes can do a great deal to develop in an individual environment, ultimately that athlete has to be able to realise their potential and perform within a team. Acknowledgement is made that in selecting for a team sport, combinations of athletes, the balance of a squad and the ability of athletes to play in more than one position are also considered alongside individual skill level.

  1. Talent Identification

The opportunity for Talent Identification for GB will normally be from performance at elite levelfor club, GB Super League and Home Country.

Notwithstanding the above, the Great Britain Head Coaches reserve the right to assess talent that has been identified by any other route.

  1. Selection/De-selection Process

5.1.The competition programme and relevant selection dates will be published in advance and available to athletesfrom the programme administrator by e mail and/or post.

5.2.The Head Coachis responsible for establishing the strategic selection criteria for identifying GB squads and teamsand will publish the up-to-date selection criteria on the Nominated Country and Great Britains Hockey website.

5.3.The Head Coach and Performance Director are jointly responsible for selectingall GB training squads and teams and may consult with other coaches(including the relevant Home Country Coaches) as they see fit.

5.4.The Performance Director has final sign-off on selection criteria and selections made by the Head Coaches of GB Identified athletes, Training Squads and teams.

5.5.Athletes will be notified of their selection or non-selection as soon as possible with an agreed method of communication.

5.6.The Head Coach will be available to discuss the selection results with affected athletes. Non-selected athletes have the option for discussions to be witnessed by another GBOlympic Hockey staff member and documented.

5.7.For the Olympic Games, the Performance Director will nominate the final teams to the BOA. The BOA will, subject to confirmation of the eligibility of the athletes (as outlined in 2.1-2.3 above), select the athletes as members of Team GB for the Beijing Olympic Games

5.8The process under which an athlete may be de-selected from the Olympic squad depends on the exact timing in relation to the Delegation Registration Meeting (DRM). That is the date that the Team is formally entered with the Beijing Organising Committee (BOCOG).

5.9Prior to the date of the DRM, the Governing Body may retain the right to deselect an athlete on any grounds so long as it is in accordance with the published selection policy of the Governing Body. If the Governing Body wishes to retain the right to deselect on performance based criteria then those criteria must be set out in the selection policy (and approved by the BOA). No variation to the published selection/de-selection policy or criteria is allowed without the prior approval of the BOA. For administrative purposes, the BOA must be kept informed of any possible de-selection decision. The nomination of a replacement athlete must also conform to the selection policy and must be an individual who has been named on the long list.

5.10After the DRM has been completed, de-selection and selection of a replacement athlete is only allowed in accordance with the IOC’s Late Athlete Replacement Policy (or any revised or amended IOC policy dealing with athlete replacement). This primarily provides for replacement in the case of injury and/or illness. In the event of there being a query over the ability of an athlete to be able to compete to the best of his/her ability due to an injury or illness the following procedure will be adhered to:

(i)the Team GB Chief Medical Officer (CMO) can require an athlete to undergo a medical examination to determine his/her fitness to participate. This examination will be carried out by the CMO or another doctor delegated by him/her. If the athlete fails the medical examination he/she will be withdrawn from the Team and the Governing Body may (if appropriate) nominate a replacement athlete in accordance with its selection policy.

(ii)if the athlete passes the medical examination carried out in accordance with (i) above but the Governing Body and/or the BOA still have concerns over whether or not the athlete is able to compete to the best of his/her ability due to the underlying injury or illness, the Team GB Chef de Mission can require the athlete to undergo a set of pre-determined sports specific performance tests. The tests must be set out in the selection policy and may not be varied or amended without prior approval of the BOA. The tests will be conducted by the Team Leader (or his/her delegate) and a BOA representative or delegate will be present. If the athlete fails the test (which can be undertaken on more than one occasion and within a short time frame if appropriate), he/she will be withdrawn from the Team on medical grounds and, if appropriate, a replacement can be nominated by the Governing Body in accordance with the selection policy.

(iii)Post Injury Fitness Testing Procedure

Aims

  1. To assess the athlete’s fitness to compete
  2. To make a decision about whether the athlete will be selected or deselected for a specific game/competition/tour
  3. If necessary, decide on a follow-up course of action (i.e. retest at a later date)

Pre-test Procedure

Prior to testing the athlete’s fitness to compete, ongoing assessment of rehabilitation progress will normally be conducted by the physiotherapist and athlete (and possibly the doctor). This might include some aspects of physical activity that are used to evaluate functional fitness but this would not constitute a fitness to compete test and the coach would therefore not normally be involved.

The athlete and medical team will make a judgment about the athlete’s readiness for a ‘fitness to compete’ test. The athlete has the right to a ‘fitness to compete’ test even if the medical teams do not think that the athlete is yet ready to successfully complete the test. The medical team must ensure that the athlete is fully informed and aware of the potential risks involved in completing an early ‘fitness to compete’ test. The athlete has the right to demand that the medical team’s opinion is not shared with any other individuals (including the coach).

A time and date will be agreed with all parties for the ‘fitness to compete’ test to be conducted. Consideration needs to be given to the post test response of the athlete and selection deadlines.

Fitness to compete test

Personnel:

Core people present may very depending on fitness/injury but would normally include the athlete, head coach/team leader and physiotherapist. Additional personnel might include the doctor, another athlete for feeding ball/tackling etc and the psychologist.

Content:

The ‘fitness to compete’ test will be led by the physiotherapist. The specific content will vary according to injury/positions etc, but will have been agreed by the medical team, athlete and coach prior to the test and the athlete informed of the expected content.

The test will be designed to assess the athlete’s functional fitness (i.e. their ability to complete the physical, technical and tactical requirements of their position).

This comprises two main elements;

  1. Physical function – speed, endurance, stride length/direction, dead stop and start, agility
  2. Hockey specific functions – stick and ball skills, 1v1 and unit skills

A typical ‘fitness to compete’ test will last about 45 minutes and might include the following components:

  1. Warm up/dynamic stretch
  2. Strides – progressively increasing speed/stride length eg half pitch jog/half pitch-half pace/half pitch jog/half pitch three quarter pace/half pitch job-half pitch sprint
  3. Sprints eg 25m standing start x 2

25m jog – 25m sprint

40m standing or rolling x 1

  1. Stop dead and restart
  2. Cones/ladders
  3. Multi-directional/plyometric drills
  4. Position specific drills eg Keeper
  5. Stick and ball/tackles/diving etc

Post Test Procedure

If the athlete is unable to complete the ‘fitness to compete’ test then they will be deemed not fit to participate in the specific game, competition or tour for which the test was conducted and an action plan regarding further rehabilitation (and possible retest) will be agreed.

If the athlete is able to complete the ‘fitness to compete’ test then an initial open discussion will take place with all present regarding the degree of fitness to compete that the athlete has achieved. This should include judgments about:

  • The athlete’s physical function fitness
  • The athlete’s hockey specific fitness
  • The risk of re-injury or secondary injury

The physiotherapist will keep a written record of this discussion and the conclusions drawn which will be kept with the athlete’s patient notes.

Decision

The decision about the athlete’s fitness to compete rests with the Head Coach and Performance Director.

Dissemination of Information

With the athlete’s permission, the Head Coach/Performance Director will then inform other relevant personnel (i.e. the other athletes and staff, media, GB and Home Nations)

  1. Review Process(pre – DRM)

6.1.An athlete may request a review of any given selection decision by submitting a written request for a review (including the grounds for a review) to the Performance Director of GB Hockey within 3 days of the announcement of the relevant selection decision.

6.2.The review will be undertaken by the Performance Director and a Review Panel comprisingof the Chief Executives of England Hockey, Scottish Hockey and Welsh Hockey (the “Review Panel”) within 7 days of receipt of the review request and may at the Performance Director / Review Panel’s absolute discretion include a meeting with the relevant athlete and Head Coach.

6.3.The [Performance Director / Review Panel] shall have an unfettered discretion either to uphold or amend the original selection decision as a result of the review and will communicate the decision to the relevant athlete(s) and Head Coach as soon as reasonably practicable.

6.4.The decision of the Performance Director / Review Panel is final and binding on the athlete being an exercise of discretion in the matter of selection. It is not a disciplinary or “judicial” finding and as such is not subject to appeal.