We are sure you are all well aware by now – and excited – that SOA is hosting the 2026 Jan Kjellstrom Festival in Perthshire over the Easter weekend, bringing orienteering back to some of Scotland’s very best terrain for the first time in over a decade.  

Things are shaping up for all four days of competition and we are delighted that entry numbers so far are looking good. Thank you to those of you who have already entered, please sign up your friends too!

We’re delighted to announce the winner of the Juniors’ photo competition congratulations to Yann from MAR Orienteering Club (MAROC) for this great shot that captures one of the dimensions of our sport: the beautiful places many of us associate with classic forest orienteering.

Clubs are always looking for new coaches to teach beginners and encourage more experienced orienteers to keep progressing. The Scottish Orienteering Coach Education Pathway allows for coaches to learn new skills and build knowledge through a combination of courses and experience. We have now completed the process of switching our qualifications over to the new Scottish Coaching Certificate in orienteering (SCCO) which is aligned to CIMSPA coach qualification standards and awarded by the SQA

Over the past year, Scottish Orienteering has been working with universities across Scotland to introduce orienteering to student teachers. We’ve delivered orienteering at Edinburgh, QMU, RGU and Stirling Universities, with Strathclyde and Dundee next on the list. The goal is to give future teachers the confidence, skills and resources they need to bring orienteering into their own classrooms- and get more juniors involved in the sport. 

Last weekend marked the first East Area coaching day of the year, held at Whinny Hill in Edinburgh. Led by Judy (ESOC), the day offered six coaching groups: TD1 juniors and parents, TD2 juniors, TD3 juniors, TD4/5 juniors, TD3 adults, and TD4/5 adults. Running from 10–2, the session gave everyone plenty of time to really focus on developing their orienteering skills.

We hope that most of you already know that SOA is hosting the JK Festival of orienteering this Easter – and we hope that most of you will be coming along to experience it, and to help us put on a great show!

The dates are Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April, with all days taking us back to high quality orienteering areas that have not been used for a decade or more.

With the busy January and February calendar with British Orienteering Development Conference, it has been decided to focus the SOA Community Conversations between March and December in 2026.

The idea of Community Conversation sessions is to create a space to bring members together to share experiences, successes, challenges and ideas around particular themes. They are open discussions and everyone is very welcome to come along, and contribute thoughts, practice and learning from your experience.

Do you have a passion for coaching and developing a volunteer workforce?  

Our current Coaching and Volunteer Officer, Suzanne Robins Bird, is retiring in March and we are seeking a new Coaching and Volunteer Officer to take over the planning and delivery of our annual volunteer development programme for coaches, event officials, volunteers and club officials.

As you all look forward to 2026 and consider what new skills you would like to develop over the year ahead, we have drawn together a list of the current coaching and volunteer training opportunities for the year ahead. To avoid disappointment, get them in your diary now!

It has been a strong year for our regional squads, with regular East and West junior training sessions and re-establishing North area training. The regional squads offer valuable coaching opportunities for juniors at TD3 level and above. These sessions allow juniors to develop their skills while connecting with other juniors. Discover more about what our squads have been up to this year.