Alumni Polo Tournament

The Alumni Polo Tournament debuted for the first-time last weekend,

where graduates and students alike came together from across the UK to re-live their university polo days. The tournament was hosted by the Alumni Polo Network, which is a new social media platform run by Warwick University graduate and Warwick University Polo Club ex- President, Ara Shikhalislami.

Ara has started the Alumni Polo Network to promote more accessible and affordable polo to players when they leave university. Most people struggle to find polo clubs where they can continue playing the sport that they love, unless they pay extortionate fees to become seasonal members of clubs. The Alumni Polo Network hopes to alleviate this obstacle by providing graduates with access to polo without paying these annual fees and promoting the sport through weekly casual group lessons and tournaments like this one.

The Alumni Polo Tournament was organised by Ara Shikhalislami (Warwick University Polo Club alumnus) and Sam Boreham (University of Nottingham Polo Club alumnus), who are both wellknown in the university polo community as good friends of the Schools and Universities Polo Association (SUPA). They both also played together in the SUPA England team, where they returned from Wicklow Polo Club in Ireland as Champions of the Tri-Nations Tournament in 2017.

The event was held at University of Nottingham Polo Club and Warwick University Polo Club's home grounds - Offchurch Bury Polo Club in Leamington Spa. The day consisted of over 40 chukkas, and although this was the first tournament of its kind, there were a staggering 19 teams competing that day from 10am until 6pm that evening. Chukkas were spread throughout the day, quite similarly to the schools and universities SUPA tournaments.

There were also a selection of food & drinks vendors for players and spectators to enjoy, as well as an Awards Ceremony and Exhibition Match – Ara and Sam managed to pull together some of the top players in the UK to put on a fantastic show for the spectators and tournament players, which they both also played in. Over 11,000 photos were taken of the 19 teams

throughout the day by professional polo photographer, Stephen Wall Photography, who has captured some stunning shots of the players amidst all the action and adrenaline.

“a staggering 19 teams competed on the day”

“Most people struggle to find polo clubs where they can continue playing the sport that they love"

Tournament sponsors of the event made a feature at the Awards Ceremony backdrop, which include StaaG Fashion, Polo Valley and RJ Polo, to name a few. Winners of the tournament won some wonderful custom medals and enjoyed taking pictures popping some Champagne and lifting the 55cm Silver-plated trophy. There were also some fantastic prizes donated, including tickets to the Gold Cup Final 2020 by Cowdray Park Polo Club, some mallets from Polo Splice and even some incredible Yerba Mate essentials from South American store, Urushop.

“the event is sure to return next year in an even bigger and better capacity"

With the positive feedback and support from SUPA, the event is sure to return next year in an even

bigger and better capacity, maintaining the momentum that Ara and Sam have built for this tournament. Ara has high hopes for the Alumni Polo Network and hopes to use this as a medium to promote the sport of polo to more people throughout the UK, and to give people a chance to play with friends and be part of an exciting event like this without having pay unnecessary fees.

Make sure to follow @AlumniPoloNetwork on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news and be sure to drop them a message if you would like to get involved in next year’s event.