Exploring the skill of recruiting in the Australian Football League

Abstract

The present study was designed to explore the skill of recruiting in the professional Australian Football League, with a particular interest in the approach to decision making and information processing. The research design utilised semi-structured interviews and a survey instrument. A total of 12 participants comprised of 11 active head recruiters representing 11 Australian Football League Clubs, and one former expert Australian Football League recruiter undertook semi-structured, in-depth interviews to provide insight into recruitment decision making. Additionally, all participants completed a survey determining preferences for intuitive and deliberative decision-making styles. A model created represents the identification of four influential factors in the recruitment approach including (a) recruiter background; (b) recruiter attributes; (c) recruiter understanding of team needs and (d) recruiter–coach relationship. In particular, recruiters revealed that the style of decision making they use is influenced by the relationship with the head coach. Recruiting as a stand-alone position is not well understood. This work shows that both intuition and deliberation are used, the extent to which appears to be influenced by the recruiter–coach relationship. This work offers a strong base to further explore recruiting and talent identification in professional sport, and, particularly, how relationships influence decision style and performance.