Looking to the Future – the new four-year strategy for Scottish Orienteering 2025-2029

This last year has seen the development of a new Strategy for Scottish Orienteering to take the sport forward, secure funding and help us all contribute to a thriving sport for all generations in Scotland.

Strategy means many things to many people but for us it’s meant to be a framework which will help us work together as a community. At its simplest it describes what we need to do to thrive, and should help us agree plans and actions. And perhaps even more importantly who needs to do what. It recognises that clubs and volunteer networks are the backbone of our sport and are where nearly everything happens. SOA’s role is to be the glue that binds the sport together in Scotland through co-ordination, facilitation and support for clubs and members.

We have shaped this new four-year strategy by listening to you—our members, clubs, and committees. It builds on the strengths of our community, addressing challenges and identifying opportunities to grow and thrive by reflecting and learning from each other. From fostering grassroots participation to supporting elite athletes, from promoting diversity and inclusion to enhancing our impact on local communities, this strategy aims to set a clear path for the future.

Why do we need a new strategy? Or indeed a strategy at all?  

In short Scottish Orienteering is extraordinarily successful, but we have our challenges and we need to manage them effectively. 

We have a strong and vibrant orienteering community which delivers over 800 events and activities a year and records participation figures of over 40,000 annually with active participants of all ages and abilities. We have some of Britain’s best orienteering areas, many very talented volunteers, we have delivered world class events and have helped develop a disproportionate number of world class athletes. 

But, and I’m afraid there’s always a but, there are some things that we need to do to continue to thrive. In summary we a) need to attract more people to our sport, b) put on top quality experiences that encourage participants to come back again and again, and c) provide opportunities for people to develop within the sport as competitors and as volunteers to adopt orienteering as their sport. And we have to govern the sport professionally.

One question we are sometimes asked is why we need a Scottish Orienteering Strategy. Why not rely on British Orienteering? Feedback from clubs, members and partners is that Scottish Orienteering community has a strong enough identity to warrant a separate strategy. But having said this we have deliberately tried to align with British Orienteering to avoid confusion and duplication. So you will see many parallels in the language that is used. 

What’s in the strategy?

As a framework we have used 4 themes:-

• Changing Perceptions – this recognises the need to improve the marketing of our sport to all non-orienteers and raise awareness of the opportunities in the sport;
• Engaging Experiences – this recognises the need to provide competitive and social experiences which persuade newcomers to adopt the sport, and which retain experienced orienteers;
• Lifelong Pathways – in parallel with providing Engaging Experiences we also recognise the need to provide structured pathways for recreational orienteers, performance athletes and to develop volunteers. These are necessary to get newcomers to adopt orienteering (they see a future in the sport) and for retention of existing orienteers (they continue to have opportunities for progression);
• Foundations for Success – lastly we have to do the basics well, providing good governance at a national level and supporting clubs with guidance and support on an ongoing basis including equality, diversity and inclusivity.

To achieve these as a sport we need to be proactive and work together. You should see the governing body shift towards a more facilitative role – making connections, encouraging sharing of best practice, and providing consistent messaging from the sport in Scotland. There are certain projects which may require SOA involvement but in pushing these forward we will ensure that they have sustainable links to clubs.

What next?

As part of our role the SOA has submitted a bid for SportScotland funding for the next four years.  This funding provides us with the ability to provide development officer support to clubs and they will be tasked with connecting partners, clubs and members, expanding the reach of the sport within education as well as providing excellent support to our clubs and members and ensuring.  It also provides financial support to deliver our coaching and volunteer programme and we hope will assist us in developing and retaining the younger generation within the sport through the further extension of the SEDS training to those with less experience.  Confirmation of this funding bid should be known by the end of February.

With this strategic framework in place, the Board is working with Nikki Howard (SOA Chief Operating Officer) to put in place a practical delivery plan for the next four years. Please do take a look at the strategy document (available to download as a .pdf here) and please feel free to discuss any aspects of it with board members, staff members or SOA volunteers – we don’t have all the answers and you probably have some great ideas for projects and activities that should appear in this plan. 

In summary this strategy is about our shared aspirations to develop orienteering as an inclusive and accessible activity that brings people together in the great outdoors. Whether you’re a seasoned competitor, a weekend enthusiast, or a newcomer seeking something fun outdoors, this plan reflects our commitment to creating opportunities for everyone to experience the joy of orienteering.

Richard Oxlade, Chair of SOA Board