POLO
Ellie Briana Molyneux
Founder
About the Sport
HISTORY
Polo is oldest team sport in the world and is the fastest contact sport played today. Originating in Persia around 600 B.C., polo began as part sport and part war training, with games played with up to 100 players per side. Modern polo grew from Manipur, India when British military officers and tea plantars founded the Silchar Polo Club in 1859. The Polo Museum reports that " after Lieutenant Joe Sherer saw the locals [in India] playing polo he said, 'We must learn the game!' From India, polo spread as fast as its enthusiasts could travel, appearing in Malta in 1868, England in 1869, Ireland in 1870, Argentina in 1872 and Australia in 1874. On a trip to England, James Gordon Bennett, publisher of the New York Herald, saw his first polo game. Early in 1876, he returned to New York with mallets, balls and a copy of the Hurlingham rules. The first game was played at a city riding academy; in the spring they moved outdoors to a field in Westchester County. That summer, the New York players took polo to Newport, R.I. Soon the galloping game was being played across North America."
MODERN POLO
Today, the "king of sports, sport of kings" is played on horseback, and the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Players score by driving a small ball into the opposing team's goal using a long-handled mallet. The sport of polo is played on a large grass field up to 300 yards (274 meters) long by 160 yards (146 meters) wide (the size of nine football fields). Outdoor polo is played with a solid plastic ball on a grass field; in arena polo, only three players are required per team for a beach venue or sand arena, and the game is played with a small air-filled ball, similar to a small soccer ball. The modern game is divided into periods called chukkas (also "chukkers"), and consists of 4 chukkas in lower-goal matches, and 6-8 chukkas in higher-level play.
DID YOU KNOW?
-
men and women may play on the same teams
-
polo horses are often referred to as "polo ponies", but it does not mean that the horses are a short as ponies!
-
polo matches are divided into "chukkers", 7 minute periods of play
-
riders switch horses between chukkers to give horses time to rest, and may switch during a chukker if needed
-
most games are played for 4 chukkers, with higher-goal matches lasting 6 chukkers
-
the rules are designed to protect the safety of horse and rider, preventing riders from crossing the line of the ball
-
a player's "handicap" is their rating level, which ranges from -2 to 10, and tournaments are set at a certain number of "goals", meaning the total of the four players' handicaps must not exceed that number (i.e. a team with a 0 goal, 4 goal, 6, goal, and 10 goal player would be a '20 goal' team).
About the Market
Source: Polo+10 2016
POLO: The Sport of Kings
Globally, polo is known as the premiere luxury sport, often referred to as the "sport of kings". Although polo has quite the royal heritage, there is much more to polo than initially meets the eye. Behind the scenes at every big polo match is a network of athletes, horse trainers, grooms, polo managers, veterinarians, event organizers, travel specialists, graphic designers, food and beverage professionals, media producers, stylists, horse transporters, sponsors, media outlets, and sometimes even professional hat designers, jewelers, and private pilots. Producing a large polo event involves many logistics, but that's what we love about it!
Every event Ellie Briana hosts is tailored to the goals of the teams, clubs, and sponsors we work with.
Marketing in Polo
Marketing in polo is two-fold. One, companies can partner with polo teams to promote their goods or services to polo spectators and the consumer market reached by local media sources, which can vary by event and location. Two, companies can showcase their brand to the global network of polo players, which is an international group that spends on sport, leisure, services, and travel. Each tournament may have a different audience, level of hospitality, and player expectations, which in turn impacts which types of sponsors will be the best fit partners for the event or season. While there is often overlap between the types of audience members, media consumers, and polo players in each event, it is important to clarify the marketing strategies for all participants when building partnerships.
Luxury in Polo
In some cases, clubs are interested in catering primarily to the most demanding luxury clientele, and they are looking to build their reputation as the home of high-end experiences. These clubs host high-goal and high-publicity tournaments, invite celebrity guests, and develop AAA networks, often as a way to promote associated equestrian real estate, market affiliated resort services, further government-supported development plans, or simply to generate interest and income for the club. These events are often as much about social networking and business development as they are about polo, and Ellie Briana helps clubs develop and execute event plans to meet targets. There are also notable charity events designed to help raise money for different causes, and we applaud and support the collective efforts to do sport for good! For this top level of luxury events, we look to partner with sponsors that can enhance the experience for our guests by offering goods or services enjoyed by discerning clientele, while in turn building their own brand awareness and boosting sales. We share event coverage in luxury media outlets, polo news sources, and with targeted regional publications. Visit www.britishpoloday.com to see when the next luxury polo event will be coming to a club near you, and keep an eye out for tickets to the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad, a Wellington match-side brunch, or the next Aspen Snow Polo event. Stop by Greenwich Polo Club for a luxury field-side experience any given summer Sunday!
Polo for the Public
About 85% of the world's polo players are considered low to medium-goal non-professionals. While a significant percent of sponsor money goes into producing luxury events at the highest level of the sport, the majority of players and their networks are amateur and represent a more financially diverse cohort. For this reason, sponsors connected to leisure, sport, travel, mid-range to high-end goods, and local enterprises are an ideal fit when advertising to these types of players, their networks, and their event audience. In many cases, polo tournaments are family and community events, with loyal attendance and involvement at a given locale. We share event coverage in targeted regional publications, polo news outlets, relevant luxury outlets, and sources with a more diverse consumer audience. Visit Ellie Briana's instagram to follow her bringing polo to the people, and see how other clubs are promoting polo to the public.
Developmental Polo
Over 90% of the professional players in the world come from a polo-playing family, overwhelmingly from Argentina. In order to open the sport up to new players in new regions, it is essential to build strong polo school programs that promote sustainable access to safe horses and quality instruction. For new players to reach reach low, medium, or high goal levels of play, an organized pipeline into the sport is necessary. For this reason, many new clubs are under construction around the globe, with the Federation of International Polo (FIP) and national associations working to further formalize, unify, and develop polo. Ellie Briana has built three polo school programs, one in Mexico, another in Southeast Asia, and a third in partnership with clubs and riders in New York to help open the sport up and offer sustainable access to training facilities. She partners with developing clubs to help them attract and retain members while working with appropriate sponsors to support developmental level polo events. See how Ellie Briana's Hong Kong Polo Development group's story is being followed by the region's major networks as beginners learn the basics in China, and get to know the Manhattan Riding Club.