EYOC 2013

[awk]

If you want British Orienteering to take note, or alarm bells to go off at board level, then I suggest you let your concerns known to British Orienteering and the board.

Never achieved anything to date, so I don't see why it should achieve anything now. Anyway, if Board members have even half a finger on the pulse, they should be able to pick this up.

On this occasion, however, I don't know enough about what is going on anyway. But what is transparently obvious is that, for whatever reasons (and it's fairly easy even for the ignorant like myself to pick up the essence of those reasons even if I don't enough about the detail), there is a very strong sense of anger and antipathy at the direction that British Orienteering has taken on junior orienteering at all levels across a wide range of parties with a direct interest.

[EddieH]

I am absolutely certain it is not BOF's intention to demotivate athletes.

However in the commercial world what happens to a company that is so out of touch with its customers as BOF appears to be?

BOF may be a limited company but it is propped up by govenment quangos - indeed as far as I can see its overriding purpose is to ensure the continuation of this income.

The question is as members do we want that money when it makes the body so unresponsive to its members?

[graeme]

what happens to a company that is so out of touch with its customers as BOF ...

Who do you think customers are? The people who give money to the company, or the people who the company gives money to? For a cost of many thousands of pounds, what is the value to the company of sending some children to a race where they aren't (in the opinion of the selectors) going to "podium"?

(notice the question marks and don't shoot the messenger)

[Vidalos]

Graeme

I think I understand the intent of the last post but the the questions are Podium when ? now or in the future ? or ever ?

Isn't the purpose of a Talent Development role and squad to enable individuals within to realise thier potential and increase that potential ?

Isn't part of that process to expose individuals to a range of development activities and experiences that allows them to move forward ?

Or is the view that all have realised their potential (and their Podiums) by 16 or 18 with no futher development possible

Ps I have a FCC trophy now going spare in the house , did all the names engraved on it achieve podiums at 16/18 ? No , some went on to better things others did not .............but they achieved something and were not just cut off

[EddieH]

I would say that the customers are the members (fees) and the punters at each event (levies).

Piss us off and BOFs raison d'etre vanishes.

[mharky]

Graeme, in that case Sport England the customer and we are the stakeholders?

You've got to keep the stakeholders happy...

[Tim]

I would agree that the membership are just as much the customers of BO as are grant providers.

Unfortunately, looking at BOs income in the 2012 Annual Report makes interesting reading and backs up the suspicions as to why BOs priorities lie where they do.

Membership and events - £465,200 - 35%
Grants (Talent & Developing Orienteering) - £769,000 - 58%
Other - £85,800 - 7%

But the goals of satisfying the needs of talented juniors with a considered approach to domestic and international competitions plus a transparent selection process and keeping the grant providers happy aren't mutually exclusive.