New 4-tier Event rules and guidlines

[Clive Coles]

The new 4-tier Event rules and guidlines have now been posted on the BOF web site

http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/index.php?pg=16#

http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/page/events_documents
Not sure there is much in them I was not expecting.

The only bit however which seems to me to be aspirational rather than deliverable is the section on Publicity.

The rules seem to suggest we need a direct link between the BOF/Association web sites and the event publicity flyers which are stored on the club web sites.

Nice idea but every Association and Club web site is individually crafted. Sometimes the next event flyer is easily spotted on the clubs home page. All to often however you have to dig around by following links within the clubs site.

I cannot imagine many clubs will rise to the challenge of redesigning their web sites to support this requirement.

[Big Jon]

I can't imagine the SOA fixture secretary will be too chuffed to have to schedule 70-80 events at level C..... Also: "Association assesses the suitability of the terrain for the event." Again I cannot imagine SOA will have any interest in checking out all the clubs' proposed level C forests before allowing them to be registered.
Looks to me like a solution to English issues and problems, I just hope there is the flexibility to allow SOA and Scottish clubs to do things slightly differently to reflect the different scale of Scotland compared to English regions and also reflect the ability of Scottish clubs to choose appropriate terrain for their own events.

[pete.owens]

None of it is aspirational - they are meant to be minimum standards.

Presumably, the whole point of having a direct link to the event details - rather than simply a link to the club website is precisely to avoid the need to rummage around each individual club's web to hunt down the details. However the clubs website is organised, the event details will have a URL and providing a link to this is trivial.

Looking at current events registered at level B - there would seem to be a number of areas which clubs need to work on to bring them up to scratch in terms of organisational quality. None of them should be show stoppers and are probably just a transitional feature of setting up the system before producing the guidelines.

There are events using start blocks rather than pre-allocated start times, events without traders, not all clubs use routegadget for example. The small number of accredited printers will be kept busy printing maps for the large number of level B events.

The biggest issue for many clubs is (or should be if the system is to be meaningful) the availability suitable terrain to meet the needs of all competitors.

[NeilC]

I can't imagine the SOA fixture secretary will be too chuffed to have to schedule 70-80 events at level C..... Also: "Association assesses the suitability of the terrain for the event." Again I cannot imagine SOA will have any interest in checking out all the clubs' proposed level C forests before allowing them to be registered.
Looks to me like a solution to English issues and problems, I just hope there is the flexibility to allow SOA and Scottish clubs to do things slightly differently to reflect the different scale of Scotland compared to English regions and also reflect the ability of Scottish clubs to choose appropriate terrain for their own events.

Presumably SOA can exercise their authority as they see fit and can delegate these activities to individual clubs or clusters of clubs. It seems logical to try and prevent two "regional" events taking place on the same day close to each other or to prevent competitors travelling 100miles or so to a very poor event.

Presumably also SOA are represented (even as only corresponding members) on the various groups and committes that formuate these policies.

[awk]

Looks to me like a solution to English issues and problems,

No, I don't think there are any "English issues and problems" that this is set out to solve. It is simply there because authority to approve at Level B is at British national level, whilst authority to approve at Level C lies with the associations.

Each association will operate in a different way, but in YHOA there are meetings of the club fixtures secretaries where the calendar is agreed. That's the point, I suspect, where the areas will be agreed at association level. I don't envisage there being any problems: clubs know full well what's needed at Level C, and won't be wanting to put on a fixture on an area that can't sustain one. If it's that small/scrappy/simple, then it'll almost automatically be saved for local (i.e. level D) events. Looking at some of the Level C/D events in Scotland, it's more the other way round - many are held on areas that would be being saved for Level B or even A in England!!

[NFKleanne]

I have started an EAOA group on facebook as several members of my club were not aware of other clubs in the area, and were therefore not going to other events! At the moment I am only putting events on for the assosiation, but its a start, and hopefully as more people join - it will be more useful

[graeme]

Presumably also SOA are represented.

I think "outvoted" might be the word you're after.

What's the chance of a O-trader driving to Aboyne for a one-off race?
Scheduling a CompassSport Cup heat in one of our better (i.e. remote) forests in January?
Providing "competition" across all age groups?
Similarly, do you really need the same embargo rule for a 6 km^2 40000 control site forest as a 1km^2 grid forest?
Lots of things there make good sense for England, but not for Scotland. Of course, BOF are aware of this, and happy to let us opt us - but then having national rules is a bit pointless. I understand the SOA Exec (not me) are proposing to just make everything they can level C, on the grounds that there is no advantage to being B.

[smf]

I understand the SOA Exec (not me) are proposing to just make everything they can level C, on the grounds that there is no advantage to being B.

Incorrect, the SOA fixtures secretary sent an email last Monday stating the following,

"In broad terms, and subject to the BOF-defined event quality guidelines:
Level B == SOLs, Scottish Relays, SixDays, stuff that BOF requires (eg SHI, Masters Cup etc)

Level C == Events that aren't targeted at beginners, including other 'Scottish' events, SoSOLs, "full" colour-codeds, more serious urban races etc"

[Clive Coles]

i don't actually think having the Association Fixture Secretary "responsible" for the programme of Level C events in their area is anything new for us. That's how we have always managed our Sunday morning fixture timetable planning in East Anglia.

Every autumn our clubs submit bids for their proposed level B & C fixtures for the next planning cycle to the Association Fixture secretary. These are then included in spreedsheat which gets circulated amongst Club Fixture secretaries so that they can consider if an event clash can be resolved between the clubs involved.

We have an email driven "negotiation" ~ it is rare for there to be a problem that cannot be resolved. We plan by concensus ~ the AFS acts as convenor /facilitator rather than dictator.

One a year the fixture secretaries get together for about an hour prior to the start of a Sunday fixture to confirm arrangements. The meetings are short and to the point ~ we all want to go out and have a run !

A small handful of bids for the higher profile level B fixtures need then to be forwarded to the National Fixtures group for their authorisation at their spring meeting.

Once these event dates and venues are confirmed the Association Fixture secretary assesses any impact this might have on our level C plans. Where necessary some adjustments to the Level C timetable may need to be suggested to effected clubs.

Once all is agreed between clubs, the AFS creates the event wrappers on the BOF database for all approved level C events. Once created the clubs take ownership of the event record and update it with details as often and frequently as they wish.

Level D (Local) events get slotted into the timetable by the clubs as and when. Clubs obviously take account of adjacent club fixtures in the timetable. We talk to each other ! Little fuss ~ frankly not a big issue.

What we gain from a 4-tier structure is the ability for Associations to authorise and manage their level 3 programme. Under 3-tiers all Level 2 events had to be referred through the National Fixtures group.

[graeme]

Incorrect, the SOA fixtures secretary sent an email last Monday stating the following,

Yes, that's what Paul and I suggested. The board had other ideas. We'll see what happens. What I can promise is that it will make no difference whatsoever to participants.

[Big Jon]

Clive Cole: "i don't actually think having the Association Fixture Secretary "responsible" for the programme of Level C events in their area is anything new for us. That's how we have always managed our Sunday morning fixture timetable planning in East Anglia."

Exactly - an English solution to the fixtures - you try asking one person to coordinate over 16 clubs and several hundred miles from N-S and E-W and 70-80 events - just not sensible.

[awk]

Exactly - an English solution to the fixtures - you try asking one person to coordinate over 16 clubs and several hundred miles from N-S and E-W and 70-80 events - just not sensible.

No - it is EAOA's solution to the fixtures. The responsibility is with the association, not with the association fixtures secretary. How the association co-ordinates its fixtures is up to the association. All the AFS need be is the main contact point - s/he doesn't have to do the co-ordination.

[Clive Coles]

Quite right AWK ~ this is EAOA's way of co-ordinating fixtures in the region. it's a way that has worked for us.

How other associations choose to operate is up to them. The rules are not dictating how it should be done.

If you take level D's out of the equation, as these are probably scheduled and run by clubs, the challenge for each association to co-ordinate level B &C fixtures is not that different from last year when these sort of events were level 2 fixtures.

[Nimby]

Do we have names for the four levels? Names were considered very important to the sport when we switched from "badge" to "regional" and "colour-coded" to "district" a few years ago.

The FC Agreement uses A=Major, B=National, C=Regional, D=Local. Is that the new naming scheme?

[Duncan]

A=National, B=Regional, C=District, D=Local would seem more approrpiate to me. Those names feel strangely reminiscent of the 5 tiers we had a few years back (also had International on top). Makes you feel like we are going round in circles....

I agree that descriptive names would make things more understandable to newcomers, and the above names don't say anything about the type of the event (urban, long, sprint, middle, relay etc.) which is as it should be.