Source: On behalf of the Orienteering Foundation

The best and probably the only permanent way to increase orienteering participation numbers and club membership (and hence the pool of volunteers to help run the sport) is to maximise how many newcomers to orienteering go on to become regular participants.

The Newcomer Retention Group set up by the Orienteering Foundation has now published its report and includes:

• Good Practice recommendations when dealing with newcomers
• Information from “mystery” visits made to three club events to assess the reality “on the ground” at the events
• Conclusions from a survey of 84 club website beginner sections
• A checklist that clubs can use to review their approach to beginners