Arena polo, as its name implies, is played on an arena surface, and it could be played outdoor and indoor. But it has some specific rules, as well. According to the Federation of International Polo (FIP), “arena polo rules emphasize continuous play, with a 6-minute chukka, for a total of four chukkas, 30 seconds of sudden-death overtime if tied, and penalties for fouls like right-of-way violations”. Continuous play means a throw-in at the start of each chukka.
Another difference with grass polo is that teams playing arena polo don’t change sides after each goal; side changes only are applied at the start of each chukka. With regards to the possession of the ball, this changes when the ball goes over the walls.
The level of handicap to play the Arena Polo World Championship is between 10/12 goals and teams are made of three members. Players can have a grass handicap that goes from -1 to 4, with a bonus of 1 goal added for the arena contest. Handicap differences are leveled by adding goals to the team rated at a lower handicap.
Goals are indicated by the referee raising their hand; the defending team resumes the play after each score, while the attacking team must stand 10 yards away.
Various penalties may be called for fouls. These are 25-yard penalty, 15-yard penalty and penalty 1 (goals + 25-yard penalty. The play stops for injuries and there aren’t any ties, which means that every tied game must have a winner. In that case, an overtime must be played, and if it remains tied after overtime, the game goes to a penalty shootout to determine the winner.
By Ale Ocampos