As a group, we have put together this document detailing how we believe team selection should be carried out. The basic principles are the same as they have been since the early days, but we want to present these ideas openly to the wider English community. This, the Team England forum, is open to all English coaches and is intended to host all future discussions on the subject.
1. Principles of Team Selection
1.1) Team selection is governed by three general principles:
- Participation
Contribution
Gaming skill
1.1a) Have attended at least 5 tournaments in the 12-month period prior to team selection.
1.1b) Generally have a good record of attendance in previous years.
1.1c) Have preferably attended at least one European tournament in the past, therefore having made contact with Blood Bowl coaches from other European countries.
1.2) Those who have given their spare time to contribute to the community should be looked upon favourably e.g. those who have organised or helped out with tournaments.
1.3) Gaming skill is an important aspect. Since the first two Eurobowls England took part in, a factor in bringing new members into the team has been skill at the game. It is important to have consistently placed highly in tournaments and achieved good results across a range of tournaments. Performance with particular races is also important, given that at Eurobowl every coach in a team must use a different race.
1.4) None of these three guidelines are absolute conditions, and will be judged subjectively by the captain. Whilst the minimum attendance requirement of five tournaments is not subjective and must be upheld, the exact nature of what counts as 'attending' an event will be determined by the captain. In addition, the selecting captain (see below) is at liberty to prioritise some aspects over others, according to his/her individual preference.
1.5) Finally (and perhaps most importantly) team members should be the kind of personalities who play fair, have a laugh, don’t take the game too seriously and who will play their part in upholding the spirit of Eurobowl as it was intended back in 2003.
2. Captaincy
2.1) Each year the eight members of Team England are selected by the captain, using the above principles as guidelines.
2.2) We believe that to captain the Eurobowl team, an individual must have previously attended/played at a Eurobowl. This is primarily because Eurobowl is a unique event which has to be experienced first-hand to be fully appreciated but also to ensure that the captain is a well-known face within the European Blood Bowl community.
This entails that each year the captain will always be selected from within the set of current and previous Team England members who are active within the community.
2.3) If more than one individual from within the group puts himself forward as candidate, then members of the Team England community will vote to determine who will be captain.
2.4) By this we mean a single round of blind voting with all candidates included, highest total wins.
2.5) Voters must be English for the purposes of Eurobowl and have played at least one NAF tournament within the 12 month period prior to the vote.
2.6) The captain may be a playing participant or may be non-playing, assuming a role closer to that of a team coach. This should be stipulated at the outset of his/her candidancy.
2.7) The captaincy should be agreed by the end of each year preceding a Eurobowl, on the assumptions that rules will be released by the hosts around the same time, and that Eurobowl will take place the following October / November, giving several months planning time.
2.8 ) The captain picks the team subjectively using the principles of selection (participation, contribution and gaming skill) as a guide. He/she also selects which races each player will use and should find a reserve in the event that one of the eight is later unable to attend.
3. Players
Having played for Team England previously should not in itself give a coach an advantage over others. We are committed to bringing in new members to Team England on a strictly meritocratic basis.
4. Timing
4.1) The whole selection process should be complete by the end of the June before the Eurobowl.
4.2) When they announce their team, the captain should explain the reasons behind their selections.
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