Urban Polo™ has followed this tradition of sporting innovation by developing a variation of polo which is both as exciting to watch as it is to play. It’s defining features include a significantly smaller field (approximately 140m rather than 300m long), which brings the game closer to the spectators, and improves player reflexes as the smaller field means they are usually closely marked by the opponent.
To account for the smaller field, and maximise spectator safety, the ball has been increased by approximately 10%, and made of a lighter, but solid, plastic composite. This ball poses minimum risk compared to a hard traditional ball and flies a shorter distance, yet maintains a true trajectory, while allowing for an experienced Urban Polo™ player to curve the ball.
Urban Polo™ rules, which reflect the unique conditions generated by the new format, have also been codified, and they largely focus on safety to players and horses, rather than technical fouls. In aggregate, the unique Urban Polo™ format and rules improve the overall spectacle of the sport, with the media comparing the sport to the ‘Twenty20’ of polo.
Urban Polo™ is now widespread across Australia, with a total of seven events staged annually, under the auspices of ‘Polo by the Sea’ and ‘Polo in the City’, the latter of which enters its tenth year in 2015, and is the world’s largest national polo series of any kind.
*Urban Polo™ is administered by the Urban Polo™ Association Limited. For more information, please email info@poloenterprises.com.au
