hurlinghampolo.com
TA L K
26
DEAUVILLE POLO CLUB
R U L E S O F A T T R A C T I O N
The All Pro Polo League is spearheading change and the
Argentine Polo Association is onboard, says Carolina Beresford
Javier Tanoira’s All Pro Polo League (APPL)
has had a year to remember, hosting eight
exhibitions in five countries over eight
months, and involving two 10-goal legends,
nine Argentine Triple Crown players and
hundreds of impressed spectators.
The league was founded in late 2015
with the aim of encouraging entertaining,
dynamic polo. What originally seemed like a
far-fetched ideal has now gained the respect
of many. After an impressive four-team
tournament in Pilar Chico, Argentina, in
November 2016, the APPL headed north in
February to host a series of exhibitions at
International Polo Club Palm Beach. Another
match was hosted in Argentina in April,
before Tanoira went to Europe to follow the
polo circuit. France was the first stop on the
APPL European Tour, with a fun exhibition
hosted at the Polo Club de Chantilly in June.
The first English APPL match was held at
Cowdray Park Polo Club in July, but the
turning point came in August, in Sotogrande,
when high-goal players voiced their support
for the league after exhibitions at Dos Lunas
and Santa Maria Polo Club. Here, players
such as Facundo Pieres, Pablo Mac Donough
and Facundo Sola highlighted the benefits
of the APPL, while not hesitating to mention
ways in which the game could be improved.
‘I particularly like the focus on not losing
rhythm,’ Pieres shared. ‘If the ball goes out,
we have to hurry back and be planning
