Polo: Urban revolution continues this Saturday at Ellerslie

Sam Hopkinson on Babe showcase urban polo. An Auckland edition will be held this Saturday at Ellerslie racecourse. Photo: Supplied

Anyone seeking a polo fix this weekend need not head into Auckland's countryside.

The Heineken Urban Polo will be held on the Ascot Avenue in-field at Ellerslie racecourse from afternoon until evening.

The Auckland Racing Club has stepped in to help organisers. The event had originally been scheduled for Parnell's Shore Rd Reserve until it was deemed unfit for play after recent weather.

That follows the abandonment of the New Zealand Open in Clevedon last week due to rainfall which was considered to place guest, player and pony safety at risk.

"The Auckland Racing Club have been amazing," Heineken Urban Polo boss Simon Wilson said.

"They are really keen on seeing equine sports in Auckland, and the rest of New Zealand. It's a real coup for them to jump to our rescue.

"Shore Rd was saturated and that would have tainted the experience. But [cyclone] Gita won't stop us. The weather on Saturday's looking epic."

Wilson has been a pioneer for the format which the event's website describes as "contemporary polo like the sevens for rugby, or a one-day cricket match".

Teams have three players rather than the traditional four, and matches consist of four seven-minute chukkas played on a smaller 160m x 50m field. The standard field is 270m x 150m. The teams change ends once a game like a rugby match, rather than after every goal. The duration for each game is less than an hour.

Six teams have registered for Saturday and Wilson estimates about 40 ponies – the traditional polo term for horses – will make the journey.

"We set the day in an urban environment with a field wall system [1.2m rather than the usual 30cm high] where fans can high-five players during the game," Wilson said.

"We also have DJ music to make for a cool party. We sold out in Auckland and Wellington last year.

"I've been running polo events for 11 years and I wanted a more exciting spectacle so simplified it. It's not how polo's been done for a 1000 years, but we wanted a collision of music and sport. The idea was to keep the prestige but jazz it up."

Wilson has organised four such events this summer. After Auckland, the latter three will take place in Christchurch, Hamilton and Wellington on March 3, 17 and 24 respectively.

The dress code suggests "summer casual with clean looks and smart detailing is the order of the day".

The website's stylists go into more detail: "For the ladies flowing dresses and wedges or sandals are the norm (heels best left at home). A summer hat or accessory can be an excellent way to finish off an outfit.

"For the gents a tailored shirt matched with dress shorts or chinos, together with loafers or boat shoes achieves a polished yet casual look for the day. Sunglasses are a must-have accessory for a sunny day!"

Wilson says one advantage of the concept over traditional polo clubs is that it can be held anywhere there is a decent tract of turf.

"We're revolutionising a 1000-year-old game and it's selling out - people love it."