It has been a busy week for HPA announcements, with news on sponsorship, youth polo and the charity sector. Here is what you need to know.
Explora joins England Polo
Expedition travel company Explora has been announced as an official sponsor of the England Polo Team for the 2025 international season. The HPA is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, and it describes Explora as a brand that shares polo’s deep connection to heritage and adventure. For the England players and fans, the partnership arrives just in time for a summer that includes the Olympic Trophy, the Golden Jubilee and the Coronation Cup.
Victor Futurum for under-16s
The HPA has launched a new series called Victor Futurum for players under 16. It is designed to give young players a supportive setting to meet, compete and develop, and it follows the introduction of age and handicap limits for Victor Ludorum tournaments in 2025. Those limits were flagged by the chairman in his December message: from this season, under-16s cannot play at 12 Goal VL and above, and the HPA has promised a better route into elite polo for them. Victor Futurum is the first practical sign of that route.
Power of Polo becomes an affiliated association
The charity Power of Polo has been named an HPA affiliated association. It describes itself as the only UK charity using polo as a sport for change, and the link gives it a formal place in British polo. It is a welcome step, because the sport needs more bridges to the wider community.
Young England and the Buckmaster
A young team will also play at Beaufort. Bradshaw leads the Young England side for The Buckmaster against Young USA, which will be played on 14 June at the Beaufort International, ahead of the Golden Jubilee. The Golden Jubilee teams are still to be chosen.
- Explora: official England Polo sponsor for 2025.
- Victor Futurum: new under-16 series.
- Power of Polo: HPA affiliated association.
- The Buckmaster: Young England v Young USA, 14 June.
The general direction here is encouraging. The HPA’s chairman has said that sponsorship is getting harder, that the sport needs to reach a wider audience and that the pathway for young players has to be better defined. This week’s announcements address all three, and we will watch with interest how they develop over the season.
Sources: HPA news, May 2025, HPA, Chairman’s vision
