U17 selection policy

With the exception of the odd Sevens tournament here and there, team selection has never really been an issue in the past. Essentially we have never had more than 15 girls available for any game, so everyone who has ever wanted to play in a given fixture has always been able to. In an ideal world that would still be the case but with a squad of at least 20 - and possibly more - its not always going to be possible.

So how are selections going to be made?

The key thing we will be looking for is reliability. If we select one person ahead of another we rather hope they will turn up, which why Sunday training is particularly important.

All our games are on Sundays, so if you cannot be relied upon to attend training on Sundays then we can only assume that you cannot be relied upon to play either. Such a consideration will come ahead of even matters such as ability - better to select a club-level player who always turns up come rain or shine rather than a county or regional star who has problems getting out of bed some mornings.

Beyond that other factors will be taken into account, including (order of priority):

• Position. We need every position on the field to be filled. If the "vacancy" in the team is for a winger and the choice is between a forward and a back then its reasonably clear who will be picked. Moral - be flexible, try new things. The more positions you can play in the more likely you are to be selected!
  
• Wednesday training. We know that Wednesdays are not ideal for everyone, due to the distance that you may have to travel or other commitments and priorities - not least GCSE, AS level and (next year) A level exams that most of you will face. But at the same time we know who have reasonable excuses like these those who don't. Attendance at Wednesday evening training shows more commitment to the team and to improving your own abilities, and both should be rewarded.
  
• Ability. In general what we primarily aim to do at Letchworth is to try to give an opportunity for as many girls to play as much rugby as possible, regardless of actual playing ability. Apart from the occasional festival or cup game almost our entire season is made up of friendly fixtures where - ultimately - the experience of playing will be remembered long after the actual result has been forgotten. But in the end - if all else is equal - selection is most likely to going to go to the stronger player.

If we do have more than 15 available for a game (or significantly more than the opposition , which ammounts to the same thing) we will try to see if the opponents will allow us to being an "A" and "B" team perhaps, or will allow rolling subs, etc. - but such things can never be guaranteed.

So the more training you attend the more likely you are to play, and furthermore the more likely you are to play in the position that you prefer - because you can be relied upon, because you will show commitment, but also because you will become a better player in that position.

The less training you attend the more likely it is that you will be a reserve or - if you do play - the more likely it is that you will be asked to slot into where a vacancy happens to be rather than where you would want to be.