Talent ID System

TALENT ID SYSTEM

It was apparent that the need existed for a formal reporting system that identified softball players with talent. The talent identification database was created in 2007 using Access Database.

The objective behind the scheme was to be able to provide National Team Coaches with information pertaining to potential players they may wish to consider for selection in New Zealand teams. National coaches are provided with a brief on recommendations and key things to consider when reading the material. It is the intent over time to build a “picture” of the achievements of our youth players from all age groups. The primary target groups are national age grade teams.

TID Information is invited and received from selectors, coaches, regional game development officers and associations. A TID profile form is completed and summarised information is transferred to the access database.

Requests for TID information are communicated in the following ways:

• Website
• National Tournament Managers Meetings

Updated reports are circulated to all national coaches twice a year. The reports can be filtered in many ways. The most common reports are as follows:

• Male/Female Alpha
• Male/Female by Association
• Male/Female by Position
• Male/Female year of birth
• JWS 2011, 2012 & 2015 (3 reports)
• JBS 2012, 2014, 2016 (3 reports)


National Tournament Selectors are provided with selector’s guidelines to assist with tournament team and individual award selections. All players selected for these teams & individual awards go on the TID database. 

Age Grade Tournament Selectors are voluntary positions that require people to commit to 4-5 full days of intense scrutiny of players. Generally people are selected from the region that the tournament is being held to keep costs to a minimum. We are very appreciative of the efforts of this group of people.

We are completely reliant on “personal observations and opinions” of the coaches & selectors who have provided information for this database.
Some comments made on players can be “sensitive”. As such, the database information is only made available to national coaches.

As costs involved do not allow for junior player trials to be held, the New Zealand Development Teams have been selected largely from information on the TID database.