Squad Nominations
Eligibility
Representing Scotland is open to all Federation members as long as you meet the selection criteria.
- Born in Scotland OR
- Born elsewhere with one or two Scottish parents OR
- Resident in Scotland for a minimum of 5 years with continuous residency up until the point of selection. Only one angler qualifying through this means can can be part of a Scottish Team in a CIPS/FIPSeD International competition.
Only anglers who are fully paid up individual members of the SFCA can be selected.
Once an angler has fished under the colours of another country he/she cannot represent Scotland.
Competitors must be in a position to prove their compliance with the above criteria if asked by the SFCA.
Once all the nominations are received the International Manager and Team Coach consider each in turn taking account of results (both individual and team), experience and technical ability.
The International Manager then selects the squad for the year. From this squad teams are selected for the following events with individuals competing for their place
Nominations
The International Manager calls for nominations for selection in December each year with a closing date of the end of January. Having considered all of the nominations received he then announces the squad at the end of February and begins the process of selecting teams for the specific International fixtures throughout the year.
Selection – What it takes and What we look for
(by Chris Paton, International Manager)
So what do I look for when considering individual nominations to include in the Scotland squad?
The most important I look for is consistency. To give yourself the best chance of selection you need to be gaining consistently good results in domestic and/or international matches at a high level, i.e. competing against other top anglers and not just at club level. For those anglers based in Scotland this means fishing the main matches on the SFCA calendar, and particularly any opportunities to fish Bloodworm matches.
As manager I also often get asked at what characteristics I look for when considering new international anglers. Well, in addition to consistent results I’ve listed below some key characteristics that I look for or consider:
Talent
Well you need some of this, but how much? Some anglers are often described as being naturally talented and have an apparent abundance of it but find that this alone is not enough. Some do not appear so naturally talented but make up for this in other ways – Bob Nudd is perhaps the shining example of someone who is perhaps not as naturally talented as others but worked his way to be the best through years of dedication.
I prefer to consider core technical skills and ability coupled with the following.
Dedication
You must want it badly. From my point of view I hate having to overlook talented, experienced anglers who to me don’t want it enough and would let me down. If you want it show it by practicing hard, put your name forward in nominations and never let your team mates down when you get the call up.
Experience
This can’t be bought and this is the bad news; anglers in the Scotland squad are in the main the more experienced anglers and they have the advantage over you of fishing in internationals, the best way to learn.
Experience of fishing various methods is also a critical skill , don’t get stuck on pole fishing only, take every opportunity to fish the waggler/slider and whip as these are often very important in overseas internationals.
You can only get experience through time and effort, but if you have the right attitude you can do other things to help you develop and learn faster.
Attitude
Be open minded and look to learn from the top anglers whenever you get the opportunity. None of us know everything and even those at the very top are still learning.
Fishing for your country, particularly in a world championship, is unique and brings with it a unique type of pressure especially when the hopes of your country rest on your shoulders and more so if you are in contention for a medal.
The ability to cope and still perform under this level of pressure requires a lot of confidence and self control. While it is almost impossible to replicate, you need to fish big team events and try to expose yourself to that type of pressure as often as possible. There are sadly limited opportunities to do this up in Scotland but entering some of the big UK events and qualifiers will definitely help.
So if you interested in fishing for Scotland why not get in contact.
To learn more about this year’s International matches and to hopefully whet your appetite follow the links to the left.
Tight Lines,
Chris Paton
International Team Manager
