Player Evaluation & Selection - Ontario Minor Hockey Association

PLAYER EVALUATION AND SELECTION
arising from a court action. In the long run, an appeal mechanism is also a strong incentive for the
organization to develop selection criteria carefully, state them precisely and apply them fairly.
At a minimum, the evaluation process should involve:
♦ Objective criteria for selection;
♦ A panel or committee of selectors; and
♦ An opportunity for unsuccessful candidates to generate a better understanding of why.
Furthermore, the process should be established well in advance of when selection decisions are to be
made. It should be communicated to all players and it should have the approval of the organization's
board of directors.
If all criteria cannot be objective, steps should be taken to incorporate basic principles to guide the
selection panel. For example, one criterion for selection to a team might be ‘attitude’. Rather than leaving
it up to a coach or selection panel to assess the attitude of an athlete, it would be useful to provide more
structured measures or indicators of attitude, such as:
♦ Willingness of the athlete to take instruction and direction;
♦ Leadership qualities demonstrated by the athlete;
♦ Ability of the athlete to handle criticism and learn from mistakes;
♦ Respect exhibited by the athlete towards coaches, officials, spectators, opponents, etc.
Where there is a subjective element in the selection criteria, and thus a certain amount of discretion, it is
important that the selection panel be able to give reasons for their decision. An easy way for the
organization to do this is to make a habit of putting all decisions in writing, stating reasons. However, the
organization should be careful that the reasons do not simply restate the criteria.
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