RULES
launched in the US. At the height of its early popularity, bike polo was played internationally and featured at the 1908 London Olympic Games. The game grew steadily and by 1938
BPA of Great Britain had 170 teams in 100 clubs with 1,000+ players. Follow- ing World War II, however, the sport suffered and its popularity rapidly decreased. During the post-war years bi- cycle polo became a marginal sport and remained so for decades – until in 1994 it suddenly re-emerged in the US. The first hardcourt polo games –
played by bicycle couriers in their free time – were contested in Seattle in 1999 and from there the sport spread rapidly across US cities. After taking over the West Coast the sport finally reached New York in 2004. After the first games in New York, it
was only a matter of time before the sport would return to its ancestral home. The first hardcourt games in London took place in 2006 and the first Europe- an championships were held in London in 2009. In the same year, the London Hard Court Bike Polo Association (LH- BPA) was formed as part of plans to better organise the fledgling sport and its capital-based clubs. By 2012 the sport had spread to every corner of the UK and at the latest count there were nearly 100 teams playing regularly in the UK.
GETTING ORGANISED Despite the increasing number of clubs and players, there is no official national governing body as yet. Last year, the
Issue 2 2013 © cybertrek 2013
players has to be like-for-like – mallet to mallet, bike to bike, body to body. Players are not allowed to put their feet on the ground - if they do, they are required to “tap out” at the side of the court before being allowed back into the game. The first team to reach five points wins, or if the time runs out, the team with most goals when the whistle blows wins.
T
eams are made up of three players and to score you have to use the end of your mallet. Any contact between
The first hardcourt games were played in Seattle between bicycle couriers
more recognised in their areas. Currently LHBPA’s main projects include a range of outreach programmes, as well as the organising of the annual London Open competition. The London Open event is now in its fourth year and has grown into the largest international tourna- ment for bike polo – in 2012 it attracted 82 clubs from 16 countries. Meanwhile, LHBPA’s successful out-
“One of the LHBPA’s main
roles is to develop access to suitable playing areas and provision of training facilities”
LHBPA teamed up with similar regional associations in Birmingham, Brighton, Manchester and elsewhere to form the United Kingdom Hardcourt Bike Polo As- sociation (UKHBPA). While UKHBPA has been tasked with leading the lobbying on behalf of the sport, it is very much in its infancy and has yet to be recognised by Sport England. In the absence of an official NGB, LHBPA and other regional associations have picked up the baton and are working to increase participa- tion numbers and to make the sport
reach programme with schools has seen bike polo introduced in PE lessons and after-hours cycling clubs across a number of London boroughs. Figures show that there are now more than 500 school children playing the sport within the Greater London area. According to LHBPA chair Jess Duffy,
the association encourages, supports and develops participation in the sport in a range of ways. “One of our main roles is to develop access to suitable playing areas and provision of training facilities,” she says. “One of the meth- ods we use is to lobby local councils and other appropriate bodies for access to and provision of suitable playing areas. We are also helping in the redevelop- ment of the courts that are used by hardcourt bike polo players in London.” Recently, the LHBPA produced a courts
proposal that has been sent to coun- cils and property owners. The proposal outlines how courts and play areas can be designed with bike polo in mind and it’s hoped it will lead to more suitable spaces being created for the sport. The association has also been re-
searching new forms of “pop-up” courts Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 63
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