Objectives
The objective of the Hertford Hockey Club selection policy is to create the best teams possible throughout the season in order to achieve each team’s goals and targets. Selection aims to be objective and considers a number of factors including skill, fitness, teamwork, contribution, attitude, versatility, commitment, potential and availability.

Attendance at training is considered a key factor in teamwork so this may be taken into consideration when differentiating between players. This is not an easy task as these attributes cannot be measured objectively and HHC has an ever-growing number of talented players. Captains generally operate a squad-based system and these guidelines aim to clarify the basis of selection for any team within the Club.

Selection
The Team Captains, Club Captain and Coaches work together to offer opinion and input from what they observe and squads are selected as appropriate. Selection should give the chance for players to settle into a new team as well as providing opportunity for movement between squads under the discretion of the Captains and Coaches.

Captains are responsible for updating the new ‘Player Watchlist’ to ensure that it provides useful information to fellow Captains with respect to players they could or should be considering.
After teams are finalised for the week (ideally by midday Tuesday, including on website), and Captains will inform players which team they have been selected for. This may require some delicacy, especially when players are selected down a team and may require a phone call (please note phone call and not email/text) from at least one of the old and new Captain.

Selection Principles
Team selection during the regular season follows these principles:

After October 31st , members who have made a payment towards subscriptions will be given priority over those yet to pay (unless otherwise agreed with the Treasurer)
The best available match-fit players will be selected for the 1st XI, then 2nd XI, then 3rd XI etc.
Attendance and performance at team training
Availability and commitment to the team on match days
Ability or potential to play at the level of the team
Adherence to the Players Code of Conduct
Outfield players will normally move up or down by no more than one team in any given week.
Players ‘dropped’ from a team will receive feedback from the captain of the ‘higher’ team
Captains will have the discretion on selection of ‘squad’ players in instances of crucial league decision games, and will have the support of fellow Captains and Coaches
Players are expected to continue to be available to play when selected for a team other than their regular team or position when required to, assuming adequate notice has been given. Failure to do so will be taken as the player making themselves unavailable for any team
If players have concerns, they should voice these to their Captain, Coach or the Club Captain, who will consider the specifics of the situation before suggesting a solution
Where a team is short of players on a Thursday night, the Captain will communicate with the Captains of the teams around them in order to ascertain which players can be made available – either from another team or through a player doubling-up to make a team of 11 (when absolutely necessary) whilst complying with league rules

Please note that selection principles apply equally to both field players and goalkeepers. In saying this, where goalkeepers are concerned sometimes common sense will need to prevail, depending on availability for the weekend’s matches. For example, a goalkeeper may be required to move up more than one team due to lack of availability one week and will then go back to their regular team the next week.