23-12-2011, 10:49 AM
Just before some of our younger players start blaming their parents for not sending them to a free event let's look at some of the facts.
There is no such thing as a free lunch. There are travel costs to be taken into consideration and often there is a registration fee. For Brazil I would imagine that the 'free' entry would be about £1000 in airfares. A typical registration fee and transfers is €60.
Under normal circumstances there would need to be a contribution towards Trainers. Another consideration is the number of players per trainer. If we say that the maximum ratio is 8 players -1 trainer then the ideal squad number is 8, 16 or 24. But what if only 10 want to go? Do you send 1 coach and have worse preparation or do you still send 2 coaches and charge everyone more? These are not simple questions to answer, especially if the extra costs mean that only 8 then choose to go (and you lose one of the better players).
It is easy to say that as many people as possible should go but the logistics and costs should always be taken into consideration. It may be that sometimes you can't send everyone for practical reasons. But then try explaining that to a parent whose child is 'rejected'.
Anyone representing Scotland must be selected to do so. How you do this and where you draw the line is not clear as previous contributions have indicated.
And in answer to Andrew McH. There was one occasion where a primary girl was selected for the Faber Cup. She gave up playing chess immediately following the event, some might say she gave up during it. She had a dreadful time. When selecting very young players maturity can be as important as ability.
There is no such thing as a free lunch. There are travel costs to be taken into consideration and often there is a registration fee. For Brazil I would imagine that the 'free' entry would be about £1000 in airfares. A typical registration fee and transfers is €60.
Under normal circumstances there would need to be a contribution towards Trainers. Another consideration is the number of players per trainer. If we say that the maximum ratio is 8 players -1 trainer then the ideal squad number is 8, 16 or 24. But what if only 10 want to go? Do you send 1 coach and have worse preparation or do you still send 2 coaches and charge everyone more? These are not simple questions to answer, especially if the extra costs mean that only 8 then choose to go (and you lose one of the better players).
It is easy to say that as many people as possible should go but the logistics and costs should always be taken into consideration. It may be that sometimes you can't send everyone for practical reasons. But then try explaining that to a parent whose child is 'rejected'.
Anyone representing Scotland must be selected to do so. How you do this and where you draw the line is not clear as previous contributions have indicated.
And in answer to Andrew McH. There was one occasion where a primary girl was selected for the Faber Cup. She gave up playing chess immediately following the event, some might say she gave up during it. She had a dreadful time. When selecting very young players maturity can be as important as ability.