Polo is a sport that likes its traditions: white breeches, brown boots, wood and cane mallets. So it was a surprise to see the Argentine Polo Association (AAP) try out a set of rule changes in the San Jorge Open this month, in the hope of making the game quicker, safer and more exciting for spectators.
What was proposed
The first package was bold. A goal from the field would count as two points and a penalty goal as one. Only two players per side would line up for the throw-in, with the other two standing ten yards away. A penalty taker could not move more than 40 yards from the ball, and the 40-yard penalty would disappear completely, leaving only the 60 and the 30. A foul to save a goal within 60 yards would earn a goal plus a penalty.
The rules were tried on a Tuesday in a San Jorge game between Chapaleufu and La Natividad. By all accounts it was entertaining, but there was a good deal of confusion over how the new rules should be applied, and the experiment was effectively over almost as soon as it began.
What the AAP actually kept
On Thursday 11 September the AAP issued a statement to players and umpires. A few minor changes were confirmed, others were quietly dropped, and the new rules apply immediately in every tournament in the country:
- The throw-in involves all eight players, not just four.
- The teams are separated by one metre, marked by stripes on the ground at the centre of the field.
- A player taking a penalty shot may not move more than 50 yards from the ball, and the umpire checks the distance.
- After a foul or a knock-in, the striker has 15 seconds from the umpire’s signal to put the ball into play. A breach means a throw-in at the spot of the foul.
Why we are watching
The two-point field goal was the idea that would have changed the sport most, because it would have made open-play scoring worth far more than a penalty conversion. That it was dropped so fast shows how hard it is to rewrite a game whose scoring has stood for generations.
The rules that stayed are small but sensible. The 15-second clock targets a familiar frustration, when a player strolls up to the ball while the crowd waits, and the one-metre gap at the throw-in should make that moment tidier. Whether any of it reaches British grass is another question. We would welcome a faster game, but we want to see how the Argentine high-goal season handles it first.
Sources: Horse Times
