Polo Teams

Four Players

A polo team is made up of four polo players. The four players on each team are assigned positions, designated by the numbers from
1 to 4 and worn on their team jerseys.

Team Handicaps

Team play is handicapped on the basis of ability. A team's handicap is the total of its players' handicap ratings. The handicaps of each player on a team are added together resulting in a handicap rating for a team.

Tournaments are held in handicap categories:

• High Goal polo is considered to be for teams rated twenty goals or over,
• Medium Goal polo is for teams rated six to fourteen goals.
• Low Goal polo is for teams rated zero to four goals.

Fair Competition

The lower rated team is then awarded the difference in goals from the higher rated team on the scoreboard prior to the start of the match. For example, a 7 goal team playing a 8 goal team would start out with one goal on the scoreboard.

There are many ways to build a team that meets the tournament's goal limit. Quite often a strong team will want a ringer, a new or under rated player, to balance the team's higher ranked players.

Team Play

The sport of polo has no set plays. Instead, polo players try to anticipate where the play will be next, listen to hear the ball coming from behind, and ride according to position.

These roles are flexible, and each player is prepared to make any play that benefits the team, changing position as necessary.