Orienteering is a sport involving navigation with the use of maps at speed through unknown terrain. In the UK, the British Orienteering Federation is the national governing body for the sport, and was established in June 1967. Orienteering began in Scandinavia, where it was introduced as a form of army training, with competitions being held between military garrisons as early as 1895. It came to Britain in the 1950s, with the support of well-known Olympic athletes such as John Disley and Chris Brasher, the latter becoming the first Chairman of the English Orienteering Association. As the sport expanded the British Orienteering Federation (founded 1967) developed, and by 1972 there were 12 national and regional Associations. In 1998 there was a membership of some 10,000, with over 150 clubs taking part. A number of universities have orienteering teams, with the British University Orienteering Championships held as early as 1968. By 1972 30 universities were sending teams to the event.

The University of Sheffield team has played a prominent role in orienteering competitions since the early days, with the Sheffield University Orienteering Club amongst the largest and most active in the country.