How to run fair county development squad trials
Nominations, criteria, assessors and feedback: running trials that players, parents and clubs trust.
County development squads matter to players, parents and clubs, and a trial that feels unfair is remembered for years. Most of what makes trials fair is decided before the first day.
Open nominations to every club
Ask every club in the county to put players forward, with a clear deadline. For under-18s, ask parents' permission before anything about their child is shared.
Set the criteria in advance
Decide what's being assessed and how it's scored before anyone is watched: skills, decision-making, physical, attitude, or whatever suits the grade. Tell clubs and players what they are.
More than one day, more than one assessor
One bad day shouldn't end a player's chance, and one assessor's opinion shouldn't decide it. Spread trials over more than one day if you can, and have each area scored by at least two people.
Watch them play
Drills show skill; games show whether a player uses it. Put players in small-sided games in mixed groups, and rotate positions.
Late bloomers
At under-14 and under-15, players born early in the year are often simply bigger. Look past size, and keep the door open for later.
Give every player feedback
Players who aren't picked deserve to know why and what to work on. Two or three specific points from the assessors are enough, sent to the player and their parents.
Tell the clubs
Clubs want to know how their players got on. A short report per club builds trust in the next trials.
In My Coaching App
Trials take nominations from clubs, with parents asked each time for under-18s. You set the days and what's scored, assessors score each player on their phone, rankings build as they go, and every player gets feedback. See running a county trial.