Polo’s new wave

Australia is a land of permanent summer. That is, at any time of year, you can find weather, somewhere in the country, that falls into the broad definition of summer, regardless of what the calendar season would otherwise imply. And so, when the temperature in our southern states eventually calls for an additional T-shirt and the swapping of thongs (flip-flops) for Ugg boots, it is time to shift polo focus to the north.

This is partly why Polo Enterprises Australia, the creators of the hugely successful Polo in the City series, forged plans to develop Polo by the Sea. While Polo in the City focuses on the corporate community in Australian capital cities, Polo by the Sea targets regional cities, and in particular, seaside towns and holiday destinations. Polo by the Sea is, in a sense, intended as a tourist attraction – a means of extracting southerners from their impending hibernation for one last ‘summer bash’. Working closely with the Gold Coast Council, the Mayor Tom Tate, Gold Coast Tourism, local hotels and Virgin airlines, Polo by the Sea ran a public relations, television, print and radio campaign, declaring boldly that they were ‘bringing summer back for a day’. It was clearly a catchphrase designed to pique the interest of New South Welshmen, Victorians and South Australians, who viewed advertising images of beach, bikinis and prevailing sunshine with some degree of envy. The location, Doug Jennings Park, a sandy peninsula that hosts hotels, a yacht club and a Sea World and serves as a launch pad for recreational anglers and surfers, constituted a spectacular location with international appeal. The event, held on 1 June 2013, attracted a solid crowd, with the ‘invite-only’ VIP Marquee sold out and the popular Polo Lounge brimming with younger revellers, who, champagne and Pimm’s in hand, gracefully swayed to the tunes of a capable DJ and live band in between games without spilling a drop.

As with Polo in the City, Polo by the Sea is played on a smaller field, despite the fact that there is often the option to play on a larger field.

Left An aerial view of the inaugural 2013 Polo by the Sea at Doug Jennings Park, Gold Coast Below Action between team Pimm’s (in white) vs. Blue Sky Brewery (in navy)

The reason is that the game is quicker and more spectator-friendly on a smaller field. Without substantial grandstands, watching polo on a full-size field can reduce audience appeal – the play can get stuck at the far end and people lose interest. The initial parameters of a regulation polo field were, I suspect, established more with the players in mind (the need to exercise the cavalry and their horses, most probably), rather than spectators. Like others, I prefer playing on a full field, however, we have found that it’s not as good for corporate entertainment.

For the game, we used a custom-made ball which is a plastic composite and hard, although not as rock hard as a polo ball. This ball is about five per cent larger than a standard ball, which means it won’t fly quite as far as a regular polo ball so it works better for our smaller fields.

Largely adopting the production framework developed by Polo in the City, the event proved a resounding success, attracting accolades from the local media, which declared Polo by the Sea an instant hit and ‘one of the best events of the year’. Yet, despite the summer weather, there were no thongs or T-shirts in sight. The event thronged with members of the stylish set, as seems customary in polo, and included a catwalk show from one of Queensland’s emerging talents, Aje, further emphasising the growing prominence of fashion at Australian polo meets. The calibre of players was not too shabby either. The likes of Ruki Baillieu (7), Ed Goold (4) and New Zealand’s Kit Brooks (5), meant a high standard of play at the event, giving spectators something to cheer about, and meeting the organisers’ primary objective of promoting polo by showcasing talent which is most likely to cast the sport in a positive and exciting light.

With the inaugural Polo by the Sea under the belt, event organisers plan to extend the series further north into tropical Queensland, in particular, Townsville (the gateway to Magnetic Island and the Great Barrier Reef), and beyond – into realms in Australia where polo has not yet, historically, ventured.