Orienteering centre points the way to excellence

The centre will be based at Sheffield Hallam University and coaches from the British Orienteering Federation will be running sessions.

Frazer Johnson from Sheffield Hallam University said: "With its proximity to the Peak District, strong local orienteering community and successful clubs, Sheffield has long been a centre of activity for performance-level orienteering.

"Seven members of the British Orienteering team are currently based in Sheffield and we are expecting this number to rise next year.

"This partnership will allow all athletes to utilise Sport Hallam's Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme and experts and facilities in the university's centre for sport and exercise science.

"This, along with the addition of a British Orienteering coach, should help to strengthen orienteering teams based in the city."

Sheffield University currently has 12 sports bursary students from the sport.

Simon Frost, general manager of U Sport at Sheffield University, said: "With a very high proportion of participants in orienteering passing through higher education, this should provide excellent opportunities for both universities to attract high-calibre students."

Gareth Candy from the British Orienteering Federation added: "By utilising Sheffield's range of academic courses and encouraging collaboration on talented athlete support, the British Orienteering Federation is keen to build and develop a mutually beneficial partnership."

Orienteering involves using a map and compass to navigate from point to point, across diverse and usually unfamiliar landscapes.