Club Development Officers Forum

Published: March 14, 2025

Largely thanks to funding from the Orienteering Foundation some of our clubs employ club development officers including; MOR, MAROC, ESOC, CLYDE, INT and FVO. Primarily our development officers focus on club outreach and building capacity within clubs to recruit new members. 

Every three months SOA have a club development officers online forum where club development officers come together and share what they have been working on and any future plans. This has proven a great opportunity to share good practice and to bounce ideas off each other. 

For our March forum we discussed planning for the year ahead and reflecting back on last years achievements. Below is an overview of the CDOs future plans and what they have been up to:

Katherine Ivory INT

  • Parkrun taster session at Vogrie and Holyrood, future taster session planned with ESOC at Oriam 
  • Permanent O courses at Craigmillar
  • New Website in the works 
  • Improving publicity for local events- double participants from previous year at Craigmillar local event 
  • Year 1 of role has focused on external community engagement with the club
Interlopers running a parkrun taster at Holyrood parkrun

David Robertson Volunteer in Edinburgh and East Lothian and ESOC member

  • Recently held East Lothian Orienteering Festival
  • 4 weeks into Active Schools after school sessions at Craiglockhart Primary. Parents are planning on leading these sessions once they gain more experience. 
  • Edinburgh Kinship Team day at Gracemount Mansion
  • Work at Leith Walk and Castleview primary schools
David organising a maze activity for a school

Ruari Cottier CLYDE

  • Currently working on Saturday Series based in local parks in Glasgows targeting new families
  • Permanent orienteering course at Balloch
  • Received grant to get areas remapped- 6 new maps by the Summer

Mairi Eades FVO 

  • Starting beginners series in Falkirk with 7 sessions including membership as part of the cost of taking part
  • Linking in with Beat the Streets
  • Permanent course in Falkirk 

Eilidh Campbell MAROC

  • Funding up to 6 days
  • Focusing on targeting runners and running CATI events
  • Session planned with Aboyne Primary School

It is coming to the end of some of the CDOs time in post so we’d like to thank them for all their hard work. To bring a wider range of experience to the CDO forum we would like to open it up to volunteers who do development work in their clubs. If you are interested in coming along please contact heidi@scottish-orienteering.org. A time and date will be confirmed near the time but we are looking to have our next forum in June.