The otherworldly e-wheels of Roda Polo have been a feature of many of the larger tournaments on the polo circuit. This polo variant retains many of the qualities, the speed and techniques of its namesake, but sees horses replaced by electric wheels, resulting in plenty of fast and furious action. Cowdray Park Polo Club hosted a number of exhibition matches in 2023 and is delighted to play host to Roda Polo’s first UK tournament in 2024.
To discuss the origins and inspiration for this new sport and the future of polo on e-wheels, former England Polo Team captain Henry Brett, one of the three founders of Roda Polo UK, a team that includes entrepreneurs and polo enthusiasts Andrew Ward and Tom Fletcher, gives his insight.
“Roda Polo is a tremendously exciting, fast-paced team sport,” says Henry, who is as enthusiastic about the sport as the young players that Roda Polo UK support at exhibition matches around the country.
Played as a three-a-side, non-contact team sport, polo on e-wheels requires less space and no access to polo ponies, making it very accessible to children and adults alike. As well as being a tremendously exciting new sport in its own right, Roda Polo is also proving to be an excellent tool to improve balance, hand eye coordination and timing for young equestrian polo players as well – providing an easy way to practice these skills at any hour, with or without a pony to hand.
“It is an excellent way to develop important skills for regular polo, as well as becoming a sport in its own right too, with a rapidly growing player base”.
For the 2024 season, Roda Polo UK will be staging a tournament to run in parallel with the traditional British Open Polo Championship Gold Cup at Cowdray, with Roda Polo matches played directly prior to the main equestrian fixtures on quarter-final, semi-final and final match days.
Sponsored by the agricultural mineral company SafeRock, the SafeRock Roda Polo Championship will stage its first matches on the 14th July, the first quarter-final day of the equestrian British Open Polo Championship tournament, with the remaining matches being played in line with the Gold Cup match calendar, culminating in a Roda Polo final to be held just prior to the British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup final, on the 21st July.
In addition, the team intend to launch a Roda Polo club at Cowdray Park, running organised Roda Polo chukkas adjacent to the regular action on major polo days during the season, subject to demand (and weather!). Those wishing to participate can visit rodapolouk.com to find out more.
The sport originally began in 2019, when Javier Tanoira, the son of the legendary 10-goaler Gonzalo Tanoira, spotted children in Argentina stick-and-balling on e-wheels while their parents played on horseback. This inspired him to create rules allowing players to safely enjoy and compete in the new sport. Since then, the sport has continued to grow, gaining many new players in the UK through the efforts of Henry, Tom and Andrew.
For the team at Roda Polo UK, it is the vibrant culture and thrill of the game that is at the heart of their passion for the sport.
Henry continues, “Our mission is to launch Roda Polo as widely as possible, allowing new players to take part and enjoy the thrill and excitement of this fantastic new sport. We hope to bring Roda Polo to the masses, including those who may know little about the traditional sport.”
Find out more: www.rodapolouk.com
