Selection and Rotation Policy Pressure of selection To maintain the quality of the squad, players are required to try out at the start of every season. We offer each player a whole season to develop their game before making a decision on whether they are accepted in the following season’s squad. We prefer not to release players during the season, as this puts pressure on their performance in the short term and leads to players making safe options during matches in fear of losing their place and being released from the club. The consequence of promising a whole season is that some players can become complacent. However we believe this is a better environment to learn in. Also players will be judged over the season and complacency will be taken into consideration for the following season.   We prefer not to release players at all. However to maintain the developmental environment for everyone, the playing and discipline standard must remain high.    Rotation of players For many decades, some children have endured the ruthless pressure of ‘win at all costs’ football, promoted at a number of clubs in the country. This has led to players playing with a ‘fear of failure’ where each decision is restricted by this fear and so they choose the safest option that is more likely to please the coach. Substitutes have had to patiently wait for their chance on the bench. When it comes they must stake their claim in the team. They then suffer the same pressures and choose the safest option, for fear of substitution.   On the continent, this environment is less common. More creative players are encouraged who make decisions based on trial on error, rather than on choosing the safest option. We mirror this model. Our players are selected into the squad at the start of the season and given equal opportunity to take part throughout the season. Each player shall be a substitute and shall be substituted during the season. This leads to less of a hierarchy in the club and every player being valued and important.   Substitutions should not be feared. In fact they are a great opportunity. During games, our coaches communicate to our substitutes by guiding them to how players have made decisions on the field and how they could have chosen alternative options. Having been given this external view of the game, players can put this learning into practice when they enter the field of play.   As the club is focused on development rather than results, we are able to run in this manner and give every player an important education.      Alternative positions The level at our club is a step up from club football. Rather than select the best two players from each position, we instead choose the most promising 18-20 players, irrelevant of which position they play in their club side. This is because we are motivated by developing youngsters in their education in football, not in pigeonholing them into fixed positions from an early age. We allow players try different positions. This gives them the opportunity to understand more about the shape of the team and the roles and responsibilities of team mates. With this new understanding, players can then make better decisions to accommodate their team mates and so become more rounded players.   However due to our policy of selecting the most promising players (not necessarily in each position), we require a certain amount of flexibility for players to play in positions they may not previously have been comfortable. Often the best club players are required to play in the more effective positions such as Centre Midfield or Centre Forward to help their club sides achieve success. However this does not mean they are most suited to those positions. During their time at our club we can help them experiment to find positions that are more suited to their talents. This flexibility will also benefit them as they move into senior level.       Flexible Age Groups  We have a community ethic where everyone is deemed as a valuable part of the club. We encourage players from each age group to get to know players from other age groups. This is so they can learn from each other’s experiences and help each other out through the season.   Players may occasionally play matches in adjacent age groups. This can be for a number of reasons: - To gain confidence. To test themselves against faster, stronger players; to play with a different style of players; to bolster age groups when they are short of players etc. We are keen to state that players are not moved up or down. They are just playing in a different squad. This is not a reward, nor is it a punishment. It is just an opportunity for that player. Not every player will be moved during the season and some will be moved more than others. However the overall plan is to give players personalised opportunities that will allow them to learn and progress.