Each year SOA organises a day for club members from across Scotland to come together to share experiences and ideas around developing orienteering. These days are very much for everyone (not just committee members) – if you’re interested in orienteering and supporting your club, then please do come along.
This year we will be running two in-person Club Networking days this year, to widen opportunities for club members across Scotland to participate.
Saturday 12th September – Dunblane (Braeport Centre)
Saturday 19th September – Boat of Garten (Community Hall)
Anyone is very welcome to attend either one (or both!)
Every 2 years ScotJOS organises a training tour to Sweden for all its junior members. This year a record 37 juniors (aged 14 to 18) took part assisted by 10 adults.
Photo Credit: ScotJOS Team
Read on to find out more about their adventures ….
With hundreds of events each year in Scotland – from local come and try it formats to the Scottish Championships there are a wealth of orienteering opportunities available on our doorsteps. However, many of our members venture further afield each year to sample large orienteering events around the world and meet others from the orienteering family. We highlight some of these opportunities so you can follow what your club mates may be up to this summer and to help you plan for future adventures.
SOA Safety Director, Tim O’Donoghue, reflects on managing risks during urban orienteering, and suggests some steps for individual orienteers and clubs to take, to reduce risks from collisions.
Urban events in a variety of formats have become an established part of orienteering over the last 15 or so years, to the extent that in alternate years the World Championships focus on sprint style events, normally in an urban environment. The level of technical difficulty is frequently lower than in traditional orienteering terrain and the emphasis is on speed – speed of decision making and running speed.
The Summer of Sport 2026 is a major programme led by sportscotland, designed to encourage children and young people across Scotland to participate in sport and physical activity.
The Scottish Schools Orienteering Festival once again proved why it has become such a valued date in the school sports calendar. Over 300 pupils attended the event at Beecraigs, described as a ‘great day out’ by pupils and teachers alike. Falkirk High School attended for the first time this year, and their experience captured exactly what makes the festival special. Anne Smith, Faculty Head of Health and School Sports Co‑ordinator, shared how meaningful the day was for her pupils:
In February, SOA awarded development funding to Roxburgh Reivers to support an innovative club development project.
The project stood out as an excellent example of how relatively small amounts of targeted funding can help clubs address local challenges, trial new ideas and create long-term benefits for their members and communities.
We wanted to highlight the project, not only to showcase the work of Roxburgh Reivers, but also to encourage other clubs to think about how they could adapt similar ideas in their own areas.
The SOA Development Fund will reopen for applications in September, and we are encouraging all clubs to begin thinking about potential projects and proposals ahead of time.
This year’s focus is clear: we want to support initiatives that help grow and expand our sport amongst adults aged 20-40.
The Scottish Orienteering Association is seeking a Senior Development Officer to join our SOA staff team. Are you passionate about orienteering and want to play a role in developing the sport? We are offering an opportunity to join our enthusiastic team and the opportunity to play a role in making a real difference to the sport and our clubs in Scotland.
Scottish Orienteering is excited to introduce a brand‑new Junior Volunteer Awards Scheme, created to recognise and encourage juniors who are taking their first steps into volunteering. Juniors will be able to collect points and earn prizes for their volunteering in four different categories; planning, organising coaching and IT/results/timing. These awards are not about being the best at a role — they are abouthaving a goand learning!
