The mission is to produce a series of high spectator friendly, exciting races around the UK, which are run in part, or all urban environments with big prizes and high media interest.
 
The aim is to create an urban orienteering series that showcases orienteering and becomes an important series of races in the UK calendar. In doing so put orienteering in the public & media eye and generate a positive, youthful, exciting image for the sport of Orienteering. In turn the aim is to raise the awareness and participation in the sport as well as media coverage.

What we offer

The way we hope the series to work is that the club or organiser, carry out the organising of the race i.e. plan the course, get maps ready, organise the manpower for running the event on the day & register & promote the event as normal. Nopesport would offer the following:

• Extensive promotion of the races as a series within and outside orienteering circles
• Release regular press releases to media and liaise with them
• Look after entries
• Arrange access to event venues if the organizer requires
• Arrange series prizes, sponsorship and any other partnerships or infrastructure available
• Set up and maintain a series mini-site

In carrying out the above roles we hope to establish the series and achieve some of the goals without creating any more work for any of the organising clubs. In fact, we hope to take some of the workload off them! It is hoped that with British Orienteering’s support, clubs will be keen to be involved. It is also hoped that they will assist in any way they can in regard to promotion and liaising with event organizers and make available contacts that would be useful.

For the athletes to be able to take part in the series they simply enter the Open or 21E class of each race in the series. Prizes are awarded to the top 3 of the men and women class. The top 10 will receive points for each race and the top man and women with the most points overall will take the series win. Points are awarded in a similar format to the formula 1 style e.g. 1st=12points, 2nd=10points, 3rd=8, 4th=7points and 1point less for every place after that. All races count for the series.

UK Cities Cup – The future

Races - We hope through the efforts in 2007, the series is established and recognised amongst orienteers and clubs. In 2008 and beyond the hope is that clubs will be keen to have a race of theirs included in the series. It is hoped that the series will build a reputation of staging races in high quality urban venues with high media and spectator interest and increased profile.

Publicity – The series will be promoted heavily with the aim of generating local interest at the race venues. It is hoped that this will increase over time and establish links with the media as well as local councils and departments. In the future we hope to bring the UK Cities Cup to the biggest towns and cities in the UK increasing the chance of public contact and larger audiences. We are also keen to have the races included as part of bigger organized events, festivals or showcases.

Partners/Sponsors – Hopefully a successful series means partners will find it rewarding to be part of and are encouraged enough support it more heavily. The increased interest in the series will also hopefully attract other sponsors and partners in the future allowing more support to the race and the series coordination and organization as well as allow them to benefit. It will also allow us to develop and expand the series increasing it’s chances for sustained, progressive success.

Athletes – It is hoped that once interest and awareness of the series and its aims are increased, race and venues will get better and prizes will get bigger. It is hoped that through sustained support, success and quality racing, the series will build a reputation as an important fixture in athletes calendar hopefully encouraging increased participation both from UK athletes and athletes from abroad.

The UK Cities Cup is organized and co-coordinated by Team nopesport events, part of nope industries llp, who do this in their spare time so the extent of the roles offered is restricted by this. Any income generated by projects or events run by nope industries llp is kept within the business to develop other projects. All that is being offered to clubs for the series and all the time being put into this series is being done for free. However, all donations and support to the cause are very welcome!

Yours in Orienteering

Stewart Caithness

Series Co-coordinator
C/o Team nopesport events - part of nope industries llp
www.nopesport.com