UK Urban League 2025

[Roger]

It's that time of year again: I'm selecting races for the 2025 UK Urban League. As usual, I've filtered the BOF fixture list for events tagged 'urban' or 'sprint', regional or national, in 2025. And as usual there are fewer choices than I'd like. Just 37 events, with none in WMOA and just one in SWOA. (And just one in Wales, but that's not unusual.) I will run the filter again on of after 9 October, so if you'd like your event to be considered, get it registered in the next week! (Or, if it's registered already, ensure that it's tagged as 'urban' and is a regional or national event.)
The current list of options is:
Wed 1st Jan 2025 DVO EMUL League 2025 Derby City Derby
Sun 5th Jan 2025 SWOC SWOC 50th Urban Cardiff
Sun 19th Jan 2025 CLARO CLARO Urban event Harrogate
Sat 25th Jan 2025 BKO Concorde Chase Urban 2025 Bracknell
Sun 16th Feb 2025 NATO Morpeth Urban Morpeth
Sun 9th Mar 2025 WAOC Royston urban event Royston
Sat 22nd Mar 2025 CUOC Icenian Sprints Day 1 Parts 1&2 Cambridge
Sat 5th Apr 2025 RR Scottish Sprint Championships (Race 1) Galashiels
Sat 5th Apr 2025 RR Regional sprint race (Race 2) Tweedbank
Sun 27th Apr 2025 EBOR York City Race York
Thu 1st May 2025 LVO Ballymena Urban Ballymena
Fri 2nd May 2025 NWOC Irish Sprint Championships Coleraine
Sun 18th May 2025 SOS SOS Maldon Urban Maldon
Sun 8th Jun 2025 EBOR YHOA Sprint Championships SW of Tadcaster
Sun 15th Jun 2025 SYO SYO Sprint Rotherham
Sun 15th Jun 2025 NATO Newcastle/Gateshead Urban Newcastle upon Tyne
Sat 21st Jun 2025 HALO HALO Urban Weekend Humberside
Sun 22nd Jun 2025 HALO HALO Urban Weekend Humberside
Sun 22nd Jun 2025 DVO EMUL League 2025 Wirksworth Wirksworth
Sun 29th Jun 2025 EPOC EPOC Urban East Pennines
Sun 29th Jun 2025 BADO SEOUL Urban Basingstoke
Sun 13th Jul 2025 NWO NWO SEOUL Regional Urban Event Corsham
Sun 13th Jul 2025 CLARO CLARO Sprint Harrogate
Sat 19th Jul 2025 AIRE AIRE Sprint/Urban Weekend Bradford
Sun 20th Jul 2025 AIRE AIRE Sprint/Urban Weekend Bradford
Sun 10th Aug 2025 LEI East Midlands Urban League 2025 Lutterworth
Mon 25th Aug 2025 EBOR White Rose Sprint North Yorkshire
Sat 20th Sep 2025 AIRE AIRE Town and Country Weekend Settle
Sat 20th Sep 2025 SLOW SLOW City of London Race London
Sun 21st Sep 2025 LEI East Midlands Urban League 2025 Leicester
Sun 28th Sep 2025 TVOC TVOC Urban Regional Event Wantage
Sat 11th Oct 2025 MDOC MDOC Urban weekend Stockport
Sun 12th Oct 2025 MDOC MDOC Urban weekend Stockport
Sat 18th Oct 2025 NATO October Odyssey Day 1 Cramlington
Sun 26th Oct 2025 ESOC ESOC SOUL (TBC) Edinburgh
Sun 2nd Nov 2025 HALO HALO Urban Humberside
Sat 20th Dec 2025 SO SO Brighton City Race Brighton

[Roger]

The selected events for UKUL 2025 are below; thanks to the clubs for confirming their participation. As you can see, most of them have one or more associated events to make your travel worthwhile (particularly to Ireland!).
Wed 1st Jan 2025 Derby DVO
Sun 5th Jan 2025 Cardiff SWOC
Sat 25th Jan 2025 Edinburgh EUOC Big Weekend Fri-Sun
Sun 2nd Feb 2025 Musselburgh ELO Scottish Night Champs Sat
Sat 8th Mar 2025 Gillingham WIM Southern Champs Sun
Sat 22nd Mar 2025 Cambridge CUOC Icenian weekend
Thu 1st May 2025 Ballymena LVO Irish Middle & Long Champs Sat - Sun
Fri 2nd May 2025 Coleraine NWOC Irish Middle & Long Champs Sat - Sun
Sun 1st Jun 2025 Northallerton CLOK Bedale Urban Sat
Sat 7th Jun 2025 Poole WSX Tidworth Urban Sun
Sun 15th Jun 2025 Newcastle upon Tyne NATO South Durham Sprints Sat
Sun 22nd Jun 2025 Humberside HALO
Sun 29th Jun 2025 Basingstoke BADO JOK Sprint, SAX Harvester Sat-Sun
Sun 6th Jul 2025 Huddersfield EPOC EPOC Urban tbc Sat
Sat 12th Jul 2025 Nottingham NOC Lincoln CRET Sun
Sat 16th Aug 2025 Woking SN
Sun 28th Sep 2025 Castle Vale HOC Forest of Dean Sat
Sun 5th Oct 2025 Nantwich DEE Double Sprint Sat
Sun 12th Oct 2025 Stockport MDOC MDOC Urban Sat
Sat 25th Oct 2025 Hertford WAOC St Albans Sun
Sun 26th Oct 2025 StAlbans HH Hertford Sat
Sun 9th Nov 2025 Rugeley WCH
Sat 20th Dec 2025 Brighton SO Fri & Sun tbc

[Atomic]

The selected events for UKUL 2025 are below; thanks to the clubs for confirming their participation. As you can see, most of them have one or more associated events to make your travel worthwhile (particularly to Ireland!).
Wed 1st Jan 2025 Derby DVO
Sun 5th Jan 2025 Cardiff SWOC
Sat 25th Jan 2025 Edinburgh EUOC Big Weekend Fri-Sun
Sun 2nd Feb 2025 Musselburgh ELO Scottish Night Champs Sat
Sat 8th Mar 2025 Gillingham WIM Southern Champs Sun
Sat 22nd Mar 2025 Cambridge CUOC Icenian weekend
Thu 1st May 2025 Ballymena LVO Irish Middle & Long Champs Sat - Sun
Fri 2nd May 2025 Coleraine NWOC Irish Middle & Long Champs Sat - Sun
Sun 1st Jun 2025 Northallerton CLOK Bedale Urban Sat
Sat 7th Jun 2025 Poole WSX Tidworth Urban Sun
Sun 15th Jun 2025 Newcastle upon Tyne NATO South Durham Sprints Sat
Sun 22nd Jun 2025 Humberside HALO
Sun 29th Jun 2025 Basingstoke BADO JOK Sprint, SAX Harvester Sat-Sun
Sun 6th Jul 2025 Huddersfield EPOC EPOC Urban tbc Sat
Sat 12th Jul 2025 Nottingham NOC Lincoln CRET Sun
Sat 16th Aug 2025 Woking SN
Sun 28th Sep 2025 Castle Vale HOC Forest of Dean Sat
Sun 5th Oct 2025 Nantwich DEE Double Sprint Sat
Sun 12th Oct 2025 Stockport MDOC MDOC Urban Sat
Sat 25th Oct 2025 Hertford WAOC St Albans Sun
Sun 26th Oct 2025 StAlbans HH Hertford Sat
Sun 9th Nov 2025 Rugeley WCH
Sat 20th Dec 2025 Brighton SO Fri & Sun tbc

I wonder if it needs a rebrand. A "UK" league which has 23 events, with only 2 in Scotland both complete by the 2nd Feb! Both on consecutive weekends and essentially in the same city. Would be interesting to see a population map of orienteers in the UK and where they are based, and how well that translates to leagues (not just UKUL but UKOL and others). Not a personal criticism Roger - you can only work with the events you are offered and you want a minimum level of participants or the events will have an uneven impact on the league scores. I suspect the badge no longer brings that many extra participants though.

[rf_fozzy]

I suspect the badge no longer brings that many extra participants though.

A UKUL urban usually increases the number of participants at an AIRE urban by 50-100.

Leeds this year got a few more because of WOC, the fact that the sprints on the Saturday also incorporated the Yorkshire Sprint Championships and those and the Sunday were also UKOL events.

So yes, the badge does bring in extra participants. More than the UKOL one does.

If you wanted a fairer spread geographically and throughout the year, it would be necessary to pre-determine when and where you want the events from the top, rather than doing it the other way round.

You wouldn't need to determine the event, but you could say that e.g. for next year: January was YHOA and SCOA (and then leave the clubs in the region to determine who will host - I know in YHOA we rotate round the 6 clubs in a 3 year rota and we usually have 2 UKUL events in a year to share out the benefits equally), Feb EMOA and SOA etc...

Then you could rotate which regions get which month annually, but *in general* permissions for an urban are generally easier than for a terrain area at most times of the year

And if it becomes necessary to swap because of particular issues, this could be done.

But you'd have to do it well in advance and organise the calendar allocations for 2026 now so that it can be cascaded down to the regions and clubs so they can sort the areas.

[Atomic]

A UKUL urban usually increases the number of participants at an AIRE urban by 50-100.

I wonder if thats true north of the border - I think most UKUL's are also SOUL's - so the local contingent already have the league factor. If it is, Scottish clubs should be beating a path to Roger's door to make an extra grand or so.

If you wanted a fairer spread geographically and throughout the year, it would be necessary to pre-determine when and where you want the events from the top, rather than doing it the other way round.

agreed - its not an easy thing to solve. If we want to be "green" then there is of course an argument for keeping it local - perhaps, ideally, it should be possible to get to 7 scoring events within either your or a neighbouring association area (all areas except NIOA border at least 2 other associations) - afterall most of the events are "regional" not national level.

But you'd have to do it well in advance and organise the calendar allocations for 2026 now so that it can be cascaded down to the regions and clubs so they can sort the areas.

in fairness to Roger, my impression in our club is once you do it in this direction it feels like the club is doing bof/association/league a favour by hosting rather than having put together a good case for being selected.

[roadrunner]

Then you could rotate which regions get which month annually, but *in general* permissions for an urban are generally easier than for a terrain area at most times of the year

That's true, but it's quite common for a club/region to stage urban and forest events on consecutive days, and I'm sure that improves attendance.

[Homer]

That's true, but it's quite common for a club/region to stage urban and forest events on consecutive days, and I'm sure that improves attendance.

Not from me. I don't understand why clubs combine urban/forest weekends. I'd be far more likely to travel to a double forest weekend than an urban/ forest weekend. I'm sure the converse applies to those who prefer urban.

November Classic is a case in point. Middle Distance race somewhere in the New Forest on Saturday and I'd make the trip..

[awk]

Not from me. I don't understand why clubs combine urban/forest weekends. I'd be far more likely to travel to a double forest weekend than an urban/ forest weekend. I'm sure the converse applies to those who prefer urban. November Classic is a case in point. Middle Distance race somewhere in the New Forest on Saturday and I'd make the trip..

Fair point. We enjoy both, so things do get a bit more complicated: We were originally going to enter the November Classic weekend, but then found Oxford on the same weekend as Thamesmead: two exciting prospects with nothing locally, versus one exciting (King's Garn Gutter), one less so, with a couple of more local alternatives (a good Middle may well have pulled us in though!). OTOH, the DEE mixed weekend on two good areas with family nearby was a no-brainer (even clashing with a nearby UKUL).

Without wishing to decry Roger's sterling efforts, UKULs no longer provide the attraction they once did. 2 main reasons:

1. They used to feel like a stamp of quality, and clubs appeared to make a real effort (some still do). Nowadays, selections appear to be more about taking turns, and all too often have disappointed. We're getting a lot more picky, selecting primarily on quality and/or accessibility, particularly by train.

2. Actually, the number of events has proved a disincentive. It's all too easy now to go through a season and found yourself beaten in the league by someone who you've hardly raced against, if at all.

There are so many UKUL events that it's been almost inevitable that we've attended enough to count - but the league itself no longer provides an incentive. Indeed, if we are at one, I frequently run up anyway. Sorry Roger.

[Atomic]

I don't understand why clubs combine urban/forest weekends. I'd be far more likely to travel to a double forest weekend than an urban/ forest weekend. I'm sure the converse applies to those who prefer urban.

It has been suggested at our club that two forest days attracts fewer numbers as that much terrain running puts off the people who make up the numbers. I've not seen any data to know if that is true, and it wouldn't explain why not run a double urban weekend. Personally I'd like to see some financial incentive for entering both parts of a weekend - I don't think there usually is.

[roadrunner]

I don't understand why clubs combine urban/forest weekends. I'd be far more likely to travel to a double forest weekend than an urban/ forest weekend. I'm sure the converse applies to those who prefer urban.

Just to be clear - I'm being misquoted here. What I said was that it was quite common for a club or region to stage urban and forest events on consecutive days to improve attendance - I didn't say that I didn't understand the reason or whether or not I supported it.

The text that's quoted above is Homer's response - which to a large extent I agree with, although for me it would be a two urban event weekend that would be the attraction.

If you're quoting someone who's quoting someone, please be careful with your edits!

[awk]

If you're quoting someone who's quoting someone, please be careful with your edits!

Many apologies: quite right, and thank you for pointing out! I've corrected my faux pas. (With a name like 'roadrunner', I suppose you would prefer a double urban!).