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A P P L 4 0 - G O A L M A T C H , P I L A R C H I C O P O L O C L U B , A R G E N T I N A , N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7
A C T I O N
SERGIO LLAMERA
A L L P R O P O L O L E A G U E
November saw a fast and exciting 40-goal exhibition match featuring the
best players in the world following APPL rules, writes Carolina Beresford
While change is on the lips of many in the
polo community, it is only the action that
speaks volumes. Javier Tanoira’s All Pro Polo
League is one of the few entities that really
works to benefit polo as a whole. The aim: to
create a dynamic spectator sport free from
the economic constraints that plague polo
today. The method: modernising the rules to
increase speed and decrease costs.
This past year has seen the APPL host
tournaments and exhibitions around the
world, spreading its ethos over America and
Europe. The simplification of the rules
proposed by the league caught the attention
of the Argentine Association of Polo (AAP),
and many of the rule changes seen in the
2017 Argentine Triple Crown stem from the
APPL. But real validation came in November,
when the best players in the world gathered
at Pilar Chico Polo Club in Argentina to play
a historic 40-goal match with APPL rules.
‘The players have realised that the only way
to transform polo into a spectator sport is to
get good players to play among themselves,’
says Tanoira. ‘All eight 10-goal players have
agreed to be a part of the APPL. They see
the potential it has, and that is the most
important thing.’ The exhibition saw Pampas
– Adolfo Cambiaso, Hilario Ulloa, Pablo Mac
Donough and Nico Pieres – take on Eagles –
Juan-Martín Nero, David ‘Pelón’ Stirling,
Gonzalo Pieres and Polito Pieres. Facundo
Pieres, although injured and unable to play
