Professional Revolution?

That’s it,

the English high goal season

is over for another year, and what a year it’s been, epitomised by the thrilling overtime gold cup final between Dubai and King Power. And we all know by now, that is was Dubai who came out victorious by a hairs breadth. Many will agree that it was spectacular to see the young, but hungry Dubai side clinch the British Open crown, yet there may be even more afoot than that.

Last year, the all pro side of El Romanso took a fairytale win to secure the Gold Cup in their final year playing together, while this year Dubai took over this title, also utilising a 4 man style of polo. Slowly and steadily we may be witnessing the changing of the guard, from the traditional patroned teams, made up of a low goal patron, two high goal pros and a young ringer to make up the handicap, towards an all pro style of team, where there are no patrons, or if there are, they are fundamental in playing with the team. The statistics seem to be telling us that this 4 man style of polo is the more successful way to go, yielding the last two gold cup wins. As this becomes more and more apperant to people and they catch on to the advantages of playing in this way, we have to ask, are we about to see the demise of the age old system of patrons and pros which has for so long been a staple of the sport?

There is no doubt that the patron system is holding the sport back from achieving popularity within the general public, as those outside the sport will often feel that they want to watch true professionals play at the highest level, rather then rich amateurs. However, this system, of pros and patrons, has proven itself to work over centuries of play, and offers a number of benefits, such as offering opportunities to up and coming players, and making the payment of pros more sustainable. If the high goal shifts towards an all pro set up, it could have serous ramifications for the entire polo community, sending shockwaves which could make or break the sport.

The big problem with moving towards an all pro set up is, unsurprisingly, money. Patrons pay the wages which keep the pros in work. Simply put, no patrons = no professionals. The only reasonable way this issue can be overcome is by completely overhauling the structure of polo teams, making them more like football teams, permanent entities which buy in players and horses, funded by non playing patrons and sponsors. This is a concept already envisioned by Gladiator Polo, however it is yet to take shape in a meaningful way.

This relies on polo becoming far more marketable than it currently is, in order to attract the sponsors and crowds which would now be relied upon to pay the pros salaries. Thus would need a massive overhaul of the television broadcasting system (don’t get me started on the Polocam’s coverage of the gold cup) as well as some serious marketing, especially towards attracting non polo specific fans.

Second on the long list of issues is the development of players. Young or upcoming players are often brought into higher and higher level games as they improve, either keeping team handicaps low or substituting for patrons. This allows them to play against better and better players, therefore enhancing their learning. Under a new system however, where players play with and against players of a similar skill level to themselves, it is not hard to image players getting stuck at a certain level, not having the experience or chance to improve beyond their current league. Although this could be a valid concern, almost every other sport, including lesser known games such as polocrosse, manage to implement development systems which support improving players without forcing them into higher and higher level tournaments before they are ready. You don’t start paying football, to be thrust into the middle of a premier league match the week later, do you? These development systems generally rely more on coaching and teaching, rather than figuring the workings of the game out, simply by playing more, and to a higher standard. There is no reason, other than, once again, a lack of funding, that something similar cannot be achieved within polo. We already have numerous coaches up and down the country, they just need utilising and paying, perhaps by scouts of the afore mentioned high goal teams.

Yet another issue that this kind of professional revolution would have to overcome is the inevitable decrease in patrons. It seems somewhat unlikely that former high goal patrons will be content playing low goal polo, along with equally skilled players, after the speed and prestige of the high goal. We can only assume that a number of these would quit polo altogether and spend there, considerable, wealth elsewhere. This could cut off significant income streams for polo, which currently provide the life blood for many pros and grooms. However, this kind of reworking should, with time attract more and more traditionally non polo people to the sport, replacing those who have left, and then some.

All photos by PoloPhoto, Visit www.polophoto.co.uk for more