New rules prove game changing on the polo field

For the polo cognoscenti, watching the early games of the season, there could be noteworthy changes in the style of play. The introduction of new rules – rolled out this summer in Santa Barbara and Kentucky to name two places – is designed to open up the game and make for a better spectator experience.

“The new rules that we have this next year are pretty good,” said leading professional USPA polo umpire Martin Ezequiel Pascual. “They’re going to be useful and they’re going to help the game to be faster and more dynamic.”

Polo rules and the interpretation of them are often complex, given the variables of the sport – the subtle changes in the line of the ball, the fact that the sport is played on horseback, and the angle of play can be seen differently from various vantage points on the field. The need for a third man – in the bleachers – to settle any differences of opinion from the two mounted umpires on the field. These factors are all indicative of the complexities of the game. And then, you have the rule changes. This year players need to pay special attention.

One of the new rules refers to the offside rule – and it’s complicated. The new rule has to do with players coming back on the field when the whistle has stopped the play. The stringent conditions for rejoining the play have been adapted slightly to allow players quicker access to the ball.

There is also a revision that will impact the fundamental style of play in evidence last winter in the high goal and will also cause teams to review players’ roles. It has to do with blocking – and it’s also complicated. Essentially the rule clamps down on a team using one player to come in and take out – block – the defensive player who’s trying to mark the player on the ball.

The rules were a variance – optional – up until now and Santa Barbara Polo Club elected to put the new rules into their tournament conditions this past summer. The changes proved popular.

“We used both new rules in Santa Barbara this summer,” said Martin. “The restrictions on blocking changed the game a lot. We saw all eight players in couples and far away from each other. So the guy that stopped with the ball couldn’t get any help, so he has to deal with that player by himself. So what do they do? Just hit the ball and make a pass and start running.

“We almost didn’t need to call it in Santa Barbara, so that won’t be a big issue if the players are aware of the rule. It’s gonna help in terms of the game speeding up. And there are teams that hire players that are very good at blocking. So now they’re not going to be able to use that player anymore in that way.”

These new rules are being tested on US polo fields while others sit back and gauge their success. Martin umpires at high goal level in Argentina – including the Argentine Open. The Association there is watching and waiting. “They want to see how it works in the US and then they will probably use it next year. In England, they’re going to do it the same. They’re going to see how it works in the US and then they might use it in the English season next year.”

Meantime the success of new rules requires ensuring that players are aware of the changes. Many players returning to the US to play now and in the rest of the winter season, will not have any experience of competing within the new parameters.

“We [USPA Umpires] have a rules meeting before the season and invite all the team Captains, players and coaches to attend,” said Martin. “We explain the rule changes and the criteria for calling them. It is a chance for the players to ask questions and make sure they are on the same page as us and understand when and why we call those plays.”

These new rule changes could prove fundamental to the strategy on the field – and those that are versed in how to work with them, will have an advantage. “They’re going to make the player play polo,” Martin said. “They need to get a pass and run with the ball. So it is going to be interesting. It’s going to be a massive rethink in some of those players’ minds.”

This could be interesting:

Throwback Thursday – the ‘Voice of Polo’ and the Gold Cup, Terry Hanlon