‘Open grades’ are competitions not restricted by age. Teams might be single or mixed gender and group is generally based on things like skills, ability, commitment, values and behaviours.
The template is a starting point for your club or association’s:
- Commitment to safe, inclusive and enjoyable sport experience for everyone
- Selection criteria and processes
- Expectations from coaches, selection committees and players.
Each sport is unique and there will be guidelines or by-laws you can refer to in your policy. Consider including the following in your policy:
- Selection criteria specific to your sport or club
- Full details of selection processes
- Who is on the selection panel and how they will make decisions
- Processes to deal with complaints or appeals against selection decisions.
Legal and policy context
Selection policy decisions in sports are often based on contract law where the relationship between a player (and athlete) and the club, and the rules governing the selection process, can often create a contractual relationship between the parties, particularly if the player or athlete is being paid to participate. To minimise exposure to potential litigation, a club should endeavour to follow the processes outlined in the Team Selection Open Grades policy template.
Complaints that selection decisions are discriminatory must be handled under your Member Protection Policy. You should also be aware of your Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy and relevant codes of behaviour in the event that children or young people under the age of 18 are playing in senior teams.
An effective policy should be clear, specific to the club and sport, fairly applied and well communicated across the club.