Teams and Levels
Polo is a team sport but made up of a series of individuals. Teams are made up of three players in the arena and four on grass. Each player contributes a handicap to the team which gives the team its total handicap.
In its simplest form a team will have the patron whose team it is and a professional polo player. The other two players will then be chosen based on their handicaps. However, some teams can be made up of all amateurs without a professional or of three professionals and a patron. The handicap, level of play and seriousness of the tournament will dictate this. You of course can have an all professional team too, which is where you can witness the great and the good of polo come together in some of the most famous tournaments around the world.
Patrons, professionals and amateurs
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A professional is defined as a player that makes money out of playing polo and where it is their main source of income. Professional polo players are typically recognised as those with a 2 goal handicap upwards. However, many players who play off 1 goal may not pay to play - but they will not necessarily get paid to play either which is the defining point. Professionals are paid according to their handicap and the level of the tournament they are playing in.
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A patron is really the pro's sponsor - and is the one that pays the professional to play. If there is more than one patron in a team then this cost will be shared accordingly. It is also confusing as a patron is considered an amateur player, however, many patrons are extemely successful players who have also reached a good handicap and level of play themselves.
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An amateur is a player that does not play a big role as a patron in the sport. They might of course be a 'patron' at various times over the season depending upon their budget and what tournaments they play in. But there is a big difference between patrons that are hobbie players and those that play annually all over the world.
It should also be noted that some patrons may change their pro - or indeed have a 'pool' of pro's that they play with.
Teams
There are hundreds of teams in polo - especially in low goal polo. However, in medium and high goal polo you will start to recognise the same teams and patrons that play in the large fixtures and also identify the crème de la crème of teams that play around the world. Teams can be found in the members area.
Levels
The level of fixtures, teams and play is referred to as low, medium or high goal polo. For outdoor polo the levels are defined as follows:
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High Goal Polo: 17 - 40 goal
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Medium Goal Polo: 10 - 17 goal
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Low Goal Polo: -2 - 8 goal