Oh no - things aren't so bad after all

[aiming off]

Got it: theres a solution. Do what other sports do for a target audience of 14-19 year olds.

It involves turning Mharky, GG and Scotia into superhero role models.
I've established the baseline: the number of 14-19 year olds in the UK who currently regard them as their ideal role model currently stands at 13. We need to get this up to a target of 30,000.

Might have some impact on their training programme. Orienteering schedule of outcomes for the next round of Sport England funding could include them:

a) Being able to recall who founded the Jan Kjellstrom Trophy on a Question of Sport

b) Perfecting a Wilf's Chilli on Celebrity Masterchef

c) Doing better than Chemmy Alcott on Dancing on Ice. (I feel sure there must be another schedule of outcome involving Chemmy Alcott somehow)

Being caught out late in a Livingston Night Club the day before the JK Sprints could also be helpful.

We also need to identify, and build up in the media, some high profile coaches to bear the brunt of press criticism, in case there is a shock outcome of our superheroes failing to get a 1,2,3 in the World Champs. No shortage of volunteers expected in the target age range.

Or maybe we could just consider moving a teeny bit in this direction? Higher and more sympathetic media profile.

[graeme]

Aye, we could do with someone to handle the media at Livingston. pm me.

[andypat]

Like aiming offs thoughts!

Part of the role of promotion is to raise consciousness. The problem with the promotion of O as it stands is that it seems to concentrate heaviliy on the "you can walk round" kind of thing. This isnt going to help increase the perception of O as a worthwhile competitive sport.

3 x superheroes just might....

[RJ]

Look at Tennis..... loads of high profile athletes, mega time on TV, huge sums of money to be won.

Look at Golf..... loads of high profile athletes, mega time on TV, huge sums of money to be won.

Golf has a much higher participation base, but both sports are punching below their potential, particularly tennis. F1, again, gets great coverage but the sport is out of reach for the majority.

There must be many things that motivate people to participate in a sport. All we can do is display/talk about/promote/publicise orienteering in the hope that it will strike a chord with someone who will give it a go. Once people try any activity they are more likely to give it another go rather than drop it. I would advocate that we need to build the sport from the bottom up rather than from the top down. Clubs need to make 'some' orienteering available regularly to their target audience in their area and work on making the product attractive, friendly, welcoming, inclusive, 'doable' and fun so that people can enjoy the experience when they come along. A youngster with a big smile is the perfect image IMO!!

[Paul Frost]

I'm just getting into Triathlon, along with a large number of other people, and it seems to be one of the few sports that is growing.
If you look at the numerous magazines, websites etc. that feature Triathlon you are unlikely to find many images of overweight or older competitors. Every image is a lycra (or neoprene) clad super-fit athlete, but watch a video some of the larger public events and you will see quite a few that don't fit that image.
So they seem to have managed to project a single image of a typical triathlete (young, fit & slim) and yet still attract the older, not so fit or slim.
Whilst there seem to be many events for juniors they don't feature much in the magazines, websites etc. so another difference in the way they market themselves.

So I guess the key thing here is that they project an image that people can aspire to rather than the lowest common denominator.

[RJ]

OK.... consider the last dozen front covers for CompassSport magazine. How has that magazine done in projecting the 'right' image of/for orienteering. Is the cover there to sell the magazine to the existing clientelle or to help promote the sport to the wider community?

Many of the covers have shown aggressive poses of fit, lycra clad athletes. Good image for the sport? Appropriate image for the sport? Representative image of the sport? 'Enticing/Thought provocating' image for the sport?

People who are going to take up orienteering will probably be of similar 'mindset' to ourselves. We must be capable of map interpretation, and enjoy the complexity of it, and be able to deal with it while running (or whatever!), and be able to solve the problems the planner has set. Now..... what percentage of the population do you think that is? Certainly bigger than our current participation levels.... but how big?

I find that school children really do enjoy the challenge of the sport, and will willingly participate in 'school based' courses. Just a small percentage of those will take the sport any further, but some do. Whatever motivates adults to take part I'm not sure, but the adults that accompany their children to events will eventually get hooked and get involved..... and that is true of most of the last ten membership units that have joined WCOC.

[SeanC]

I think there's a split between the image of a sport nationally and what individuals want.

At the national level I think a youthful, athletic image is the right one, especially for orienteering where the public perception is confused - seen as a mapreading exercise, or not a sport, or has no public image at all (not aided by the word orienteering that isn't self explanatory).

Once people understand a sport, they want reassurance that their orienteering is appropriate to them, so I see local publicity as targetting the relevant local market - eg targetting families reassure them that there are appropriate courses, venues and facilities. Using football as an analogy - Ryan Giggs and Therry Henry might inspire and give the sport its image (well not always perfect in the case of football), but the marketing for local five a side football makes it clear that it's suitable for punter footballers looking for a kickabout.

The other good analogy I think is the car industry. They sell hardly any of the high spec/power versions of their models, but these are the ones seen in adverts. It's just marketing. People like to imagine they are driving something cool and sexy, not the 1.9 L family diesil that they can afford/can handle.

[70plus]

It's just marketing.

I'm not entirely sure that it is just marketing, at least not to increase participation. Most sports 'market' to attract spectators, which won't happen to O.

- 'athletes' are faced with a much wider choice of sports these days - e.g Paul's triathlon
- by definition O is not a spectator sport (yet), which immediately adds to mystique - everyone knows what goes on in football, cricket, athletics, ... triathlon even. This is where schools O can make a big difference. So outsiders may have little idea what happens when an orienteer disappears into the forest.
- it is not a team game (even relays) - this may deter those who dislike the idea of getting lost 'out there on my own'.

How can we capitalise on an image of self-reliance?

[andy]

Most sports 'market' to attract spectators, which won't happen to O.

Can't remember the last time I wanted to go and see a triathlon or an adventure race and not compete. (Well, the olympic triathlon, but whatever, one off)

I'd love to see orienteering portrayed as a more 'young fit slim' sport than the general mish-mash we have at the moment. Would give younger people people to look up to and I don't think it would drive away any of the older generation.

We have a range of coaching sessions in the Edinburgh area for schools and scout packs (and the like) which are run mostly by ESOC (I think). It's really obvious the kids enjoy it much more when a few EUOC coaches turn up as opposed to entirely 50+ coaches. They are young and enthusiastic and some of them are at the top of the sport. Little things like this can make a big difference, even if for nothing but the perception of the sport.

[mharky]

Most sports 'market' to attract spectators, which won't happen to O.

But sports do not market as a cohesive organisation. The Premier League markets to get spectators, the FA markets to get participation in youth football projects. British cycling spends time, effort and a lot of Sky's money on marketing mass participation events. They do not do anything about promoting specific cycling events in the UK. The Revolution and Tour of Britain market themselves as top class cycling events and a chance to see some of the world's best. Domestic races market in a totally different way, and similar to a standard domestic orienteering event.

There are different types of marketing. National governing bodies have a totally different agenda to event organisers.

UK athletics doesn't really do much, but look at the marketing and subsequent boom of these "Tough" XC races that seem to be everywhere at the moment.

So for BOF a focus on youth may be appropriate. For SLOW's park races then a focus on young fit and health people is appropriate.

[70plus]

I'd love to see orienteering portrayed as a more 'young fit slim' sport than the general mish-mash we have at the moment. Would give younger people people to look up to and I don't think it would drive away any of the older generation.

It's really obvious the kids enjoy it much more when a few EUOC coaches turn up as opposed to entirely 50+ coaches.

Couldn't agree more, andy. But O has been sold as the Family Sport for many years, which is hardly the same thing. 25 to 45 is the missing age-group in O, so it's not easy to find the role models for the advertising. I have said before that we should avoid being seen as a sport enjoyed and organised by 'old fogeys', and that is a small part of why I have withdrawn from O-fficialdom (the main part is a knackered ankle).

[graeme]

O has been sold as the Family Sport for many years, ... 25 to 45 is the missing age-group

and so one might conclude that the advertising worked? Be careful what you wish for.

[RJ]

Yes, the 25-40 group......!! We have maybe ten membership units that started life as young couples in their early twenties, that have lapsed over the last decade. No surprise really because they have all settled into full time jobs, families and new homes. Many of them return at certain of our weekly events, particularly in the school hols, with their younger family members. If the O product is right then there is a chance the kids will take to it, but there is no guarantee. The children can have got into all sorts of other sports, so we are competing against all the usual interests and have to be capable of capturing their attention on the day! The parents have often found something different as well.

It may very well be easier to invest in attracting new members..... like school initiatives which capture the children first.... and then the 40+ parents!

[JennyJ]

I think it's really important to think long term about development. If you give lots of kids lots of positive opportunities to try orienteering (whether that's things like ShAFF and Cliffhanger in Sheffield, school activities or even clubnights) when they are older and see a local event on they might fancy it (and even remember how to do it).
It's really hard to start orienteering for the first time as a 20-35 yr old, especially if you're a good runner, as it can be very frustrating to get beaten by people you think you shouldn't be every week!

[mharky]

Don't just look at things on a small scale. You do a very good job at WCOC and have a great number of juniors coming into the sport. But your club is called West Cumberland. What works for you isn't going to work for everyone. The demographic of where you guys do your work is totally different to somewhere like London, Birmingham, Sheffield or Edinburgh. Big cities that do have lots of young professionals, big student populations and a mild resurgence in outdoor individual sports (running, cycling etc.).

As I said in my previous post, there is a different in marketing for events and marketing orienteering in general. In orienteering it is only a handful of events that are really tareting this 24-40 audience, and it's basically SLOW. But then look at their M21 membership, it's huge.

What they have done can work in big cities around the country. Market events (and even design the events) for a target audience.

I don't think anyone is advocating we stop trying to attract kids of vets into the sport, but what we need to be doing is attracting young adults in AS WELL.