Is Orienteering a sport?

[RJ]

BOF can put effort into national exposure in newspapers I'm sure. However, press coverage only lasts for as long as the reader is engaged with the story. Shortly afterwards it is in the recycling bin! Press coverage is an ongoing job, week in week out.

A club has just so many manhours of volunteer time available..... to carry out all the jobs that it wishes to see done. So, the club needs to prioritise those jobs. How high does publicity sit? Probably not vey high when there are so many other tasks to be done. And the press reports will only generate general interest in the readership and give the impression that orienteering is just like football and snooker and all the other sports. Making use of this interest that is generated in the readership is then down to the club having an events programme that people can come to, either through schools events, or specifically advertised events on fliers and posters etc. We have had a few people come to try orienteering after seeing it in the paper (sports section).

Our recent headlines have been....
West juniors do well in relays
Impressive Taylor digs in and battles conditions
Latrigg event settles club championship honours
West oreinteerings do Cumbria proud in Lakes5
Intricate courses test runners on steep fell
No room for any mistakes on Great Cockup

Apart from the subheading label, orienteering, there is little mention of the sport in the headlines. That is true of all the sports on the five pages each week. But the reports contain the club name and dates of future events so the messasge is there for those who want to take it up. Fifty two reports a year..... you are bound to reach an audience..... maybe not the one you need, but there will be people who know that orienteering is an active and 'proper' sport, and should be taken seriously.

So, I think my assessment would be..... press coverage serves a purpose, but it is not the advertising system that you might think it is. You bring people into the sport in other ways. School events. Events targeted at specific groups. Word of mouth. Inviting a friend along. Press coverage just gets the name in the consciousness of your audience, it doesn't necessarily get them to turn up on Sunday.

Anyway.... get your publicity/press officer to get out there blowing the club's trumpet. Let everyone know you are active and involved in a REAL COMPETITIVE SPORT.

[Adrian]

Malvern Gazette Friday Oct 8th: Top left hand corner BACK PAGE and referred to as "Hartmann" in headline and story - that MUST mean it's definitely a sports story

Have you put a scan of this up somewhere? A

[Mrs H]

What do you want a scan for? you can link to the on-line version here

[entries-sec]

I do hope you will all be going to your local BOF Roadshow to express your views ... we shall be at the first one on Tuesday in Taunton. (You might want to feel sorry for Mike and Ed - they spent most of yesterday in a meeting with me and then they get me on Tuesday too. )

Christine