Every year we celebrate the contribution made to the sport by our young people. This year we have decided to deconflict our Young Orienteer of the Year award with Volunteer Week in June by asking for nominations later in the year and presenting the trophy at the Junior Inter Areas in October. We are eagerly looking forward to hearing what our young people have been up to in our clubs and squads. This award is not about performance but rather contribution to the sport through volunteering and in the past we have had activities as diverse as running school clubs, mapping, writing newsletters, coaching and officiating at events recognised and celebrated.
Ruari Cottier and Peter Owen – joint winners of last year’s award.
Do you know a young person under 21 who is inspiring others? Consistently assisting with club activities? Or making a difference by raising the profile of our sport through their volunteering?
Use the form to nominate your young hero and give them the recognition they deserve.
The SOA Development Team, consisting of Heidi Ross, Louise Adams and Suzanne Robins-Bird, has recently had a change in division of work within the team. Louise now leads on internal development focusing on club support. Heidi’s main focus is now on external development, building links and creating partnerships outwith the orienteering community. Suzanne’s remit of enabling and supporting the coaching and volunteering workforce remains the same.
Looking to improve your navigation skills or try a new sport? Scottish Orienteering are organising an adult beginner day at Hazlehead, Aberdeen on the Saturday 25th October. From the day you will gain the skills and confidence to navigate with a map. No prior knowledge required – just a sense of adventure. All physical activity at whatever level you choose. The day runs from 11-5 led by one of our experienced tutors. This course is perfect for first timers, new club members, those who have been around a few orienteering courses and those who attended the Hazlehead taster session back in May.
After 9 years the Junior European Cup (JEC) returns to Scotland on the 3-5th October.
The Sprint returns to the campus of Stirling University on the afternoon of Friday 3rd October. Nine year ago Sweden and Switzerland claimed most of the podium spots but GBR’s Laura King, Cecilie Anderson and Harrison McCartney were all tantalisingly close in 4th place (W18, W20 and M18 competitions). Can the GB Juniors selected do better this year?
The fourth and last Scottish Orienteering League event of 2025 saw us all off to the East Lothian seaside. Interlopers (INT) had timed the event to avoid the bird nesting season, updated the map and worked hard to engage with the four landowners to make sure control placing/car parking was possible.
The SOA is looking to appoint someone to operate as the coordinator for the Scottish Elite and Development Squad (SEDS). The role of SEDS is encourage the retention and development of young adults within the sport by providing training in a sociable environment.
SEDS has previously focussed on TD5 level training but additional funding has been sourced to allow TD3/4 training to be developed. Whilst we are not looking for the SEDS coordinator to necessarily plan such training, we are looking to extend training opportunities for improvers and for any training opportunities to allow the inclusion of TD3/4 level training alongside TD5 training where possible.
The SOA is seeking candidates to fill the roles of JK 2026 Co-ordinator for the JK 2026 and the Assistant Coordinator for the Scottish 6 Day Event in 2027.
JK 2026 Co-ordinator
The JK 2026 is being held in Perthshire in 3rd to 6th April 2026 with the Sprint in Perth and the other days based around Rannoch. There is an Interim JK 2026 Co-ordinator in place at present and we are looking for someone to take over this role and deliver the event.
The next Scottish Orienteering 6 Day Event is being held in the Perthshire area in 2027 and we are looking for someone to act as the assistant coordinator for the event.
Both of these roles are paid roles and will be key to the successful delivery of the events through the coordination of a team of volunteers and paid for services as appropriate. For the right candidate there is potential for the roles to be combined.
Within our clubs we know that many hands make light work and more often than not a problem shared is a problem halved. So each year we offer the opportunity for clubs to come together to meet other club volunteers, the SOA Board and staff and share the experiences from their clubs with others who may be a different size or area.
Over the past 6 months SOA has been working hard to get orienteering into teaching institutions. By introducing future teachers to orienteering we hope they will be able to bring orienteering to their classrooms. This will hopefully increase awareness and uptake of orienteering.
The Compass Sport Cup is a British Clubs Orienteering Championships. The Competition consists of an initial round in Spring and a Final round in the autumn. This year the initial round for the Scottish Clubs took place at Kinoull Hill Perth, hosted by Tayside Orienteers and the final was at South Gare, Redcar in the North East of England. Clubs are categorised into small (Trophy – 13 scorers) and large (Cup – 25 scorers) clubs. Forth Valley Orienteers are the only large club in Scotland. FVO, INT, ESOC, INVOC and MAROC had previously qualified at Kinoull and travelled down for the final.
