Surfing England Selection and Appeals Policy
ISA Longboard World Championships 2024
Contents
1. Objectives and Approach
2. The Purpose of the Selection Policy
3. The Selection Panel
4. Eligibility
5. Selection Process
6. Appeal Process
7. ISA Longboard World Championships Selection.
Criteria
8. Team Support Staff for ISA World Longboard Championships 2024
Definitions
“ADRV” means Anti-Doping Rule Violation
“Appeal” means an appeal against a Selection decision under the Policy;
“Appeal Panel” means the panel which addresses Appeals once they go beyond the capacity of the Selection Panel;
“Appeal Process” means the process for addressing Appeals within the Policy;
“Appellant” means any athlete or Authorised Representative who makes an Appeal against a Selection decision;
“Authorised Representative”means any party who is authorised to accompany the Appellant at certain stages of the procedures outlined within the Policy;
“BLU” means British Long Board Union
“Chairperson” means the Chairperson of Surfing England
“Chair of the Appeal Panel” means the individual whose role is to have leadership responsibilities over the Appeal Panel;
“GBR” means the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
“Surfing England” means Surfing England Ltd.;
“Notice of Appeal” means the notice given by the Appellant to initiate Appeal proceedings;
“Second Appeal Notice” means the notice received by the Appeal Panel once the Appeal Process has advanced beyond the Selection Panel’s deliberations;
“Selection” means the process of selecting athletes to represent England to Surfing England Squads
“Selection Panel” means the Surfing England Selection Panel; a committee responsible for the Selection or nomination of Surfing England Squads or Surfing England Teams;
“ERQS” means World Surfing League European Regional Qualifying Series
“WSL” means World Surfing League
“RQS” means Regional Qualifying Series
1. Objectives and Approach
1.1. This document outlines the Selection Policy (‘Policy’) which Surfing England will follow when selecting athletes to represent England for the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Longboard Games 2024.
1.2. The Policy sets out the overarching Selection process as well as specifically outlining the selection criteria for the ISA World Longboard Championships.
1.3. The Policy also describes an Appeal Process. Any Appeal against a decision of the Selection Panel must follow strict procedures laid down in the Appeal Process. Adherence to the process ensures that all Appellants are treated equally. There is a financial charge for making an Appeal to discourage frivolous Appeals.
1.4. The Policy and/or the Selection Criteria contained herein may be amended from time to time by Surfing England, including in particular in the event that COVID-19 materially impacts any matters related to the Policy, including in respect of qualification events or timelines.
2. The Purpose of the Selection Policy
2.1. The purpose of the Selection Policy is twofold:
- 2.1.1. The primary purpose of the selection policy is to select the team that gives England the opportunity for the best possible results at the 2024 ISA World Longboard Championships.
- 2.1.2. The secondary purpose of the selection policy is to provide opportunities for the long-term development of athletes who are, in the opinion of the Selection Panel, capable of being podium competitive at future international events.
3. The Selection Panel
3.1. The Selection Panel, which is responsible for the implementation of the Policy, will be chaired by an individual nominated by the Surfing England Board.
- The Long Board Selection Panel will consist of:
● Surfing England board member (voting)
● Surfing England senior member of the executive team (voting)
● Surfing England senior coaching staff (voting)
● Nominated Longboard Representative (voting)
● Nominated Longboard Representative (voting)
3.2. The Selection Panel is therefore composed of 5 voting members, and shall be quorate if 3 members are present, provided one is either a Surfing England board member or senior member of the executive team, who in the result of any voting that is tied, shall have the casting vote.
3.3. Selections will be made without bias or discrimination, and, as such, any conflicts, real or perceived, must be declared and recorded at the start of the meeting. The existence of a disclosed conflict will not preclude a Selection Panel member, or attendee, from participating in deliberations. Depending on the nature of the conflict a Selection Panel member may have to abstain from voting if a vote is required.
3.4. The Selection Panel has total discretion to make Selections but in accordance with the purpose of the Policy stated above. It will use, in conjunction with its own assessment, the Selection criteria as a guide to their deliberations and conclusions. Any Appeal made against a decision of the Selection Panel cannot challenge the exercise of discretion unless the Appeal can demonstrate that the discretion has not been exercised in a reasonable manner and that such discretion was exercised in such a way as to be prejudicial to the Appellant.
3.5. Further to 3.5, the Selection Panel will not give any preference to athletes who work or train, or who are in any other way associated with partners of, or entities associated with, Surfing England, and all Selections will be made in accordance with the rules and procedures laid down in the Policy.
4. Eligibility
4.1. No athlete may be selected under or pursuant to the Policy unless they have satisfied the basic eligibility criteria.
4.2. The athlete must:
- 4.2.1. hold a British Passport and be eligible under ISA rules to compete for England;
- 4.2.2. be a member of Surfing England;
- 4.2.3. be WADA compliant and not be banned or suspended from competition due to an Anti-Doping Rule violation (ADRV) ruling or Investigation;
- 4.2.4. not be serving a suspension for any other disciplinary offence; and
- 4.2.5. to be physically and mentally fit to compete.
4.3. Any Selection does not entitle an athlete to receive funding for the ISA World Longboard Championships.
5. The Selection Process
5.1. The Selection Panel is responsible for Selection of all athletes and support staff for the ISA World Longboard Championships.
5.2. Following Selection Panel meetings, athletes will be notified of their Selection/non-Selection by Surfing England and Selections will be published on the Surfing England Website once the Appeals window has closed. Selected athletes must confirm with Surfing England their intention to take up the place prior to the Appeals window closing.
6. Appeal Process
6.1. Any Appeal against Selection for the 2024 ISA World Longboard Championships must follow the Appeal Process laid down in this Selection Policy. Any Appeal against a decision of the Selection Panel must follow strict procedures.
Grounds of Appeal
6.2. An athlete, or their Authorised Representative, (“the Appellant”), may make an Appeal against a Selection decision only on one or more of the following grounds:
- 6.2.1. there has been a failure to apply the Criteria contained within the Selection Policy
- 6.2.2. the Selection Panel has failed to follow its procedures properly; and/or
- 6.2.3. the Selection Panel’s discretion has not been exercised in a reasonable manner and that such discretion was exercised in such a way as to be prejudicial to the Appellant.
The Process
6.3. In the first instance an Appeal is made to the Selection Panel, who will consider the Appeal and respond, either:
- a) agreeing with the Appellant and changing the original decision; or
- b) rejecting the Appellant’s Appeal and explaining its reasons for the decision.
6.4. If an Appellant is not satisfied with the outcome of the Selection Panel’s further deliberations, then the Appellant may make a further Appeal (“the Second Appeal Notice”) to a different panel, the Appeal Panel (“the Appeal Panel”), based on the same grounds of Appeal and Appeal Notice.
6.5. Outcomes available to the Appeal Panel are:
- 6.5.1. to confirm the Selection decision under Appeal and reject the Appeal; or
- 6.5.2. to refer the Selection decision under Appeal back to the Selection Panel, identifying errors they have made in their deliberations or process, (as per the grounds outlined in clause 6.2), and requesting a new decision is made, or the original decision is confirmed correcting any errors made by the Selection Panel within a timeframe which allows their conclusions to be implemented.
How to Appeal
6.6. An Appeal Process is commenced by the Appellant, addressing an email to the Chair of the Selection Panel appealing against a decision made by the Selection Panel that resulted in the athlete not being selected. (“Notice of Appeal”). The email should be sent to lineup@surfingengland.org . The email must be sent within 2 business days of the notification of Selection/non-Selection.
6.7. The Notice of Appeal must clearly set out the details of the decision which is being appealed and include full details of the Appellant’s ground(s) of Appeal. The Notice of Appeal should attach any documents or written evidence relevant to the grounds of Appeal and which are relied upon by the Appellant.
6.8. All Appeals must be accompanied by a bank transfer of £250 which will be refunded should the Appeal be upheld under Clause 6.5.2 above. Information regarding the bank transfer of the £250 will be stated in the response email from lineup@surfingengland.org
6.9. Following the Appellant being informed of the outcome of the Selection Panel’s further deliberations under Clause 6.4, the Appellant can raise a Second Appeal Notice if they do not agree with the outcome of the Selection Panels further deliberations. The Second Appeal Notice is reviewed by an independent Appeal Panel. The Second Appeal Notice must be made via email to lineup@surfignengland.org and be received by Surfing England within 1 business day of the Appellant being informed of the Selection Panel’s decision under Clause 6.4.
6.10. In the event of any Appeal, the meeting note of the Selection Panel’s Selection decisions or of any Appeal hearing will be made available to the Appellant upon request and will be provided within one business day of such request. In some cases, it may be necessary to redact elements of the relevant minutes or meeting note.
The Appeal Panel
6.11. Surfing England will nominate an Appeal Panel of at least 3 members, none of whom sat on the Selection Panel, and none of whom are conflicted. The members will select a Chair of the Appeal Panel.
6.12. The Appeal Panel must receive the Second Appeal Notice within the time frames stated in Clause 6.9. The only fee required is when the Appellant first makes an Appeal to the Selection Panel. A second fee is not required if the Appeal reaches the Appeal Panel.
6.13. The Chair of the Appeal Panel will convene a meeting to take place as son as reasonably practical following the Second Appeal Notice, or, if urgent for reasons of a specific event, then to take place within a time frame which allows their conclusions to be implemented.
6.14. The Appeal Panel will investigate the grounds of Appeal set out in the Second Appeal Notice and establish, to their reasonable satisfaction, which of the outcomes set out in Clause 6.5 is appropriate. The Chair of the Appeal Panel will notify the Selection Panel and the Appellant of their decision immediately after the meeting.
6.15. The decision of the Appeal Panel, and if required, subsequent review by the Selection Panel, following the Second Appeal Notice is final. No further Appeal of the same initial grounds of appeal will be considered.
7. ISA World Longboard Championships 2024 Selection Criteria
Athletes
7.1 To be proposed for the ISA World Longboard Championships 2024 any athlete must meet the eligibility criteria set out in Section 4 of this Selection Policy.
7.2 The Selection Panel will select 2 female and 2 male athletes utilising the selection criteria below.
- 7.2.1 The highest ranked male and female athlete on the WSL International Longboard Tour will be automatically selected to compete at the ISA Longboarding World Games.
- 7.2.2 The highest ranked male and female athlete from the 2023 British Longboard Union (BLU) Longboard Tour.
In the event that selected athletes from 7.2.1 & 7.2.2 do not take up their quota, the selection panel are able to determine selection based on consideration of a range of events and / or pursuant with 2.1.2, to look at athletes who have shown future medal winning potential. In this instance the panel will look at results from the events stated below, with a weighting on results achieved within the last 12 months:
• Results from WSL European Longboard Events, Eurosurf and 2023 ISA World Longboard Championships
• European and Worldwide National Federation Events
• Results from the B.L.U. Longboard tour seasons 2023
8. Team Support Staff for ISA World Longboard Championships
8.1 Selection of Team Coaches and Managers for the ISA World Longboard Championships 2024 is at the discretion of the Surfing England Selection Panel; provided they meet the following accreditation standard:
• Demonstrated relevant experience at International Events.
• All support staff must have an approved current DBS check.
• Agree to and sign the Surfing England code of conduct.
