County Training & County Cup Preparation Training
Selection Policy
County Training and County Cup Preparation Training are Tennis Oxfordshire’s flagship training & development programmes for junior players in 8U to 18U age groups.
- County Training is for players in the 8U to 10U age groups
- County Cup Preparation Training is for players in the 11U to 18U age groups
Each programme differs in its focus, format and frequency. Providing a tailored development pathway that allows players to grow, enjoy and take part in competitive County-level tennis throughout their time as a ‘junior’.
County Training selection process for 8U to 10U age groups
There are 10 County Training sessions per year. These take place every month with the exception of July and August. There will be two player selections per year – for the winter term – spanning September, October, November & December, and for the Spring / Summer term – spanning January, February, March April, May, and June. Invitations will be sent out in early September and early January.
The County Performance Coach, who leads the County Training programme, in conjunction with the Head of Junior Selection will, in the first instance, review and agree those players to be invited to County Training. The Head of Junior Selection may choose to consult with the County’s independent coaches to validate the player selection.
Up to two independent coaches are appointed each year by Tennis Oxfordshire based on their knowledge and experience of working with junior players across the County. The independent coaches should not involved in the delivery of County Training to ensure additional objectivity in the selection process.
The number of players invited to County Training is determined by the availability of training places. With the exception of the 8Us, this is currently set at 8 players per age group; for both boys and girls. Any Oxfordshire coach can recommend a player to be invited to County Training. They can do this via the Head of Junior Selection. We actively encourage coaches to nominate 8U and 9U players to attend a free session at which their aptitude for County Training can be assessed.
Selection criteria for 8U to 10U County Training
For 10Us, selection is made on the basis of recent form (9U recent form may be taken into consideration for the January invitations).
For 9Us, selection is made on the basis of recent form and recommendation by coaches after a playing ‘sift’.
For 8Us, selection is made on the basis of recommendation by coaches after a playing ‘sift’.
Selection for 8U to 10U County Cups and inter county team events
The County Performance Coach will normally select teams from those players regularly attending County Training. Those not attending County Training on a regular basis may be selected if there are exceptional circumstances.
County Cup Preparation Training selection process for 11U, 12U, 14U and 18U age groups.
To qualify for County Cup Preparation Training, it is vital that players have a strong record of playing in graded competitions.
The number of players invited to attend County Cup Preparation Training will vary from 6 – 8 (and may go as high as 10 or 12) depending on the cohort of players in each age group.
Players who wish to be considered for County Cup selection will be expected to attend all County Cup Preparation Training sessions. Exceptional circumstances may be taken into account.
An invitation to attend County Cup Preparation Training does not mean a player is automatically selected for a County Team. The County Performance Coach / Team Captain will make the County Cup Team selection based on their assessment of players who will contribute to the strongest team performance. Training sessions will play a major part in the selection process.
Selection criteria
For 11U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U age groups selection is made on the basis of ranking.
All but 2 of the players in the squad will be selected using the selection criteria above; the remaining 2 players may be selected by Wild Card. This means that in exceptional circumstances players who would not have been selected under the criteria above may be selected.
Wild Cards may take into account:
- Recent injuries
- Reasons why competition has been missed
- Personal circumstances
- Late entry into the sport
For ‘wild cards’ to be allocated, the Head of Junior Selection will consult with the County’s independent coaches to validate player selection. If consensus on player selection cannot be reached, The Head of Junior Selection has the final decision.
A copy of this policy can be downloaded here
