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New England Development Officers Join The Team

By Craig Anthony
I’m pleased to announce that this week we welcome two new members of the team to British Orienteering. Peter Brooke and Phil Conway join the Development team as England Development Officers. Fully funded by Sport England these posts complete the team of 4 England Development Officers that will work with identified clubs to improve and increase participant retention as well as working on key national projects.

It is great to have these new people in post and to be able to move forward with our plans to increase the number of people orienteering regularly. Both Peter and Phil bring a wealth of experience to the team from different backgrounds and their skill sets will complement each other and the rest of the team. I’m sure that Peter and Phil will find their feet quickly and I know they are looking forward to working closely with our clubs and members to make an impact.

Peter Brooke
Phil Conway

Peter says:

“After studying Tourism Management at Leeds Beckett University, I became an events manager at a major 4-star hotel managing staff and a wide range of events. I then moved into sports development in Rugby League, firstly working to annually develop and train over 300 community officials and volunteer groups before moving into a club development focused role. In both roles, I developed and wrote structures, training schemes and club development programmes to improve the club environment and experiences, whilst growing the number of participants. Additionally, I managed and organised over 30 local to national sporting events a year with a key focus delivering excellent participant experience.

I enjoy getting out and about supporting and helping people of all ages reach their potential whilst enjoying sport. I’m excited to be joining British Orienteering and believe the structures and programmes in place point to a very positive future. I look forward to working with everyone involved to drive the sport forward” 

Phil says:

“I fell in love with orienteering aged 11, and have enjoyed the sport most of my life. As a teenager, I reached the GB Junior Squad, then my performance gently declined to my current level, happily running M50 Short! I have volunteered as an event organiser, planner, fixtures secretary and now lead junior development for my current club Guildford Orienteers. My proudest moment was helping the O-Ringen team in Sweden design a new programme for disabled people. I then watched my son Shaun complete his course with the help of Swedish carers, entering the finish stadium to the applause of several thousand spectators.

I'm excited to start working in the sport full-time and look forward to making an impact.”

The Development team consists of four England Development Officers; Natalie Weir, Tim Herod, Peter Brooke and Phil Conway, Orienteering Services Officer Dan Riley and Communications Officer Jennie Taylor.

The team are responsible for driving improved retention of regular participants through these projects:

  • Club Stickiness – working closely with identified clubs to improve participant and member retention
  • Youth Retention – initiatives to improve retention of junior orienteers aged 12-19
  • Volunteer Development – encouraging retention through volunteer engagement and development
  • Competition Development – working with the sport to adapt and modernise delivery to meet the needs of participants at risk of dropping out 
  • Xplorer – retaining regular participants with a specific focus on women and girls
Peter and Phil got out orienteering to experience Xplorer on their first day

If you would like more information on the Development teams work then please don’t hesitate to contact me; canthony@britishorienteering.org.uk or 07342 882530.

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