Federation of International Polo
Polo Rules

THE INTERNATIONAL RULES FOR POLO
(With amendments following meeting in Buenos Aires)

A. TEAMS, PLAYERS, SUBSTITUTES AND EQUIPMENT

A.1 TEAMS AND PLAYERS

  1. The number of players is limited to 4 a side in all games.
  2. Players must be qualified to play under the Regulations and Rules of the host country of the event.
  3. Players shall play with the stick in the right hand. 
  4. No individual shall participate as a player or official in any game, if under the influence of drugs, alcohol or any other substance, which may affect the ability to function. A player participating in any game under these rules consents, as a condition of participation, to blood, urine or other tests deemed appropriate by the host organisation.
  5. The aggregate handicap of a team must fall within the limits specified for an event. No team whose handicap is higher or lower than the specified limits shall be permitted to participate. 
  6. Certain rules regarding eligibility and handicapping may vary from country to country and such rules must be obeyed when playing in that country.

A.2 SUBSTITUTION

  1. Substitution will be limited to players qualified and properly nominated under the tournament rules; any combination of 4 players so qualified and nominated are eligible to start the game provided the team is within the handicap limits of the tournament and the players are named at least 24 hours prior to games; any subsequent team change due to sickness, injury or other, will be immediately notified to the tournament committee and the opposing team.
  2. Substitution may only take place during a game if a player becomes sick or injured. If a player becomes sick or injured he, and any other players on the team, can be substituted for provided the team remains within the handicap limit of the tournament and is properly qualified under the tournament rules.
  3. The handicap of a team in any game shall be its highest total handicap on the field at any one time during that game."
  4. Certain rules regarding substitution and handicap alterations may vary from country to country and such rules must be obeyed when playing in that country.

A.3 EQUIPMENT FOR PLAYERS

  1. Sharp spurs and protruding buckles or studs on a player's boots or knee guards are not allowed.
  2. Players must wear protective headgear with a chinstrap properly fixed.
  3. Teams must wear distinguishing colours. If the 2 teams in the opinion of the tournament committee or the umpires conducting the game are so alike as to cause confusion, the team with the lower handicap or if equal, lower in the draw or second named in a league, must play in some other colour.
  4. Certain rules regarding equipment for players may vary from country to country and such rules must be obeyed when playing in that country.

B. PONIES, PONY EQUIPMENT AND PONY WELFARE

B.1 PONIES

  1. Ponies of any height may be played.
  2. A pony blind in an eye may not be played.
  3. A pony may not be played which is not under proper control or which shows a vice that is a danger to other ponies or players.
  4. A pony played by one team cannot be played by any other team in the same tournament.

B.2 EQUIPMENT FOR PONIES

  1. Protection of ponies by boots or bandages on all 4 legs is compulsory.
  2. Blinkers or any form of noseband or other equipment which obstructs the vision of the pony, are not allowed.
  3. A calkin or stud must only be fitted on the last inch (2.5 cms) of the hind shoes.
  4. Shoes with an outer rim, toe grab, screws, studs with hard centres or frost nails are not allowed.
  5. Certain rules regarding the equipment for ponies may vary from country to country. These rules must be obeyed when playing in that country.

B.3 WELFARE OF PONIES

  1. Players must take all reasonable steps to ensure the welfare of their ponies. 
  2. Any pony showing blood, whether from the mouth, flanks or any other part, shall be removed from the game.
  3. After the fall of a pony, it shall be trotted up sound and fit to play before the player remounts.
  4. Any pony that is lame shall be removed from the game. 
  5. The umpires have the authority to order the removal of any pony from the game.
  6. Certain rules regarding the welfare of ponies may vary from country to country and such rules must be obeyed when playing in that country.

C. DUTIES AND AUTHORITY OF TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE, UMPIRES, REFEREE, GOAL JUDGES, TIMEKEEPER, SCORER AND OTHER OFFICIALS.

C.1 DUTIES AND AUTHORITY OF TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE

  1. In most events, the host club will appoint 3 or more qualified individuals, who have little or no interest in the outcome of the event to form a tournament committee. The tournament committee will be charged with the responsibility of running the event, including providing the officials and all the equipment needed by the officials to conduct the event, scheduling of the game(s), the holding of the draw and the resolution of questions arising at any time other than when the umpires are in charge. The decisions of the tournament committee shall be final and may not be objected to by the teams. 
  2. No team may appeal in any way against the appointment of any particular umpire or referee. Nor may a team appeal against the times or venue of a game.
  3. Alleged procedural irregularities by the tournament committee may be protested to the governing body FIP, such protests must be in writing, and made without delay.
  4. Any question regarding a player or a pony may be referred by the umpires to the tournament committee after the game.

C.2 UMPIRES AND REFEREE

  1. The rules shall be administered in a game by two umpires, who shall be mounted to enable them to keep close to the play, and a referee who shall remain off the field of play in a central position. The tournament committee may decide that 1 umpire and the referee may be dispensed with. All decisions of the umpires shall be final. In the event that 2 are serving and they disagree, the referee shall decide which umpire's opinion is to prevail or call no foul. In the event the umpires disagree, after hearing the testimony of the goal judges(s), as to whether a goal has been scored, the referee shall give the benefit of any doubt to the defending team.
  2. Discretion of Umpires:
    Should any incident or question not provided for in these rules or in the rules prevailing in the country where the game is being played arise in a game, such incident or question shall be decided by the umpires. If the umpires disagree, the Referee's decision shall be final.
  3. The umpires' authority begins when the umpires take to the field and ends when they leave the field. During this time, any infringement of the rules constitutes a foul and the umpires will stop the game unless interrupting the game and awarding a penalty results in a disadvantage to the team fouled.

C.3 GOAL JUDGES

  1. In important games, goal judges shall be appointed, each of whom shall give testimony to the umpire at the latter's request as to the goals scored or other points of the game near the goal, but the umpire shall make all final decisions.
  2. When the ball is hit across the back line, a goal judge should signal and then quickly place a new ball on level ground on the field within 1 foot of the spot where it crossed the line except that it must not be nearer than 4 yards from the goal posts or sideboards.

C.4 TIMEKEEPER AND SCORER
An official timekeeper and scorer shall be employed at all games. Their authority must be subordinate to the final authority of the umpire.

C.5 OTHER OFFICIALS
Certain rules regarding Officials, their equipment and authority may vary from country to country and such rules must be obeyed when playing in that country.

D. GAME FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

D.1 FIELD OF PLAY

  1. A full size field of play shall be 300 yards (275 meters) in length by 200 yards (180 meters) in width if unboarded; and 300 yards (275 meters) in length by 160 yards (140 meters) in width if boarded. 
  2. The goals shall not be less than 250 yards (230 meters) apart; each goal shall be 8 yards (7.3 meters) wide and centered at each end of the field.
  3. The goal posts shall be at least 10 feet (3 meters) high, and light enough to give way if collided with.
  4. The boards shall not exceed 11 inches (28 centimeters) in height.

D.2 SIZE OF BALL
The size of the ball shall be 3 to 3.5 inches (76 to 89 millimeters) in diameter; the weight of the ball shall be within the limits of 4.25 to 4.75 ounces (120 to 135 grams).

D.3 RUN-OFF AREA

  1. The run-off area is recommended to extend 10 yards beyond the boards or side lines and 30 yards beyond the back line.
  2. No person other than players and umpires is allowed in the run-off area during play; except a stick holder may cross the safety zone to hand a player a new stick. A player requiring a stick, pony or other assistance from an outside person during play must ride to the boards, side or end lines to procure it, no person may come on to the field of play to assist.
  3. No pony is allowed within the run-off area during play except those being ridden by a player or umpire.
  4. Any incidence of the game which occurs in the run-off area shall be treated as though it occurred on the field of play.

E. DURATION OF GAMES, CHUKKERS, WINNING OF GAME; GOALS AND HANDICAPS

E.1 DURATION OF GAMES

The standard duration of a game shall be 6 chukkers. The number of chukkers in a game may be varied by the tournament committee. There may not be more than 8 chukkers, not including extra time. In all games there shall be a half time interval of 5 minutes; all other intervals between chukkers will be 3 minutes. 5 minutes shall be allowed before the first chukker of extra time if it is to be played. In games of 7 or 5 chukkers, the interval will be after the fourth or third chukker respectively. With the exception of the said intervals, play shall be continuous.

E.2 DURATION OF CHUKKERS

  1. The bell shall be sounded 1 minute before each chukker as a warning of its commencement and again at the time each chukker is to commence. 
  2. Each chukker will be 7 minutes in length. At the end of 6½ minutes of playing time, a bell will be sounded to indicate 30 seconds remain in the chukker. At the end of 7 minutes of playing time, a horn will sound to terminate the chukker.
  3. If a foul is called and confirmed by the officials when less than 5 seconds remain in the chukker, then the clock will be reset to provide 5 seconds of play.
  4. Should the score be tied at the end of the last regular chukker, the game shall be resumed with an extra chukker played under the same conditions as described in the above sections with intervals between chukkers as provided in Rule E.1. If the game goes to a second extra chukker, the goals shall be widened to 16 yards (14.6 meters) and teams will change ends . The first team to score in the extra chukker(s) wins the game.
  5. All chukkers will terminate at 7 minutes, which is confirmed by the horn and the whistle. However to avoid any mistake about whether the horn has actually been sounded or not, or whether such sounding may have been inadvertent or untimely, players should continue to play until they hear the umpire's whistle.

E.3 RUNNING AND STOPPING OF CLOCK

  1. Only if and when the umpire stops the play with a whistle, shall the clock be stopped. The clock shall not be stopped when a goal is scored or the ball otherwise goes out of bounds unless the umpire blows the whistle.
  2. If play is to be resumed by the umpire throwing the ball in between the teams, the clock (if stopped) does not resume running until the ball leaves the umpire's hand.
  3. If play is to be resumed by a team taking a hit, the clock (if stopped) does not start until the ball is hit or hit at.

E.4 WINNING OF GAMES: GOALS

  1. The team that scores the most goals, including goals awarded on handicap and/or by penalty, wins the game.
  2. A goal is scored from play when the ball passes between the goal posts or the imaginary vertical line produced by the inner surfaces of the goal posts and across and clear of the goal line. The ball must go all of the way over and across the goal line to be a goal. A ball on the line is still in play. A ball hit directly over the top of either goal post shall not count as a goal because it does not pass between the inner vertical lines produced.
  3. Tournaments may be played in whole or part as a league, with 3 or more teams. If so, a points system, 2 for a win, 1 for a tie, should be used; there will be no extra chukkers in the event of a tie. If 2 teams tie, the "who beat who" rule will operate, but if 3 or more teams tie, the points system will be recalculated only to take into account the matches between the tied teams. If this results in 2 teams still being tied, then the "who beat who" rule will apply. If, however, 3 or more teams remain tied on points, the order of merit is  established using the total of net goals accredited to each team (i.e. the sum of goals scored minus the sum of goals against, both including those received on handicap), counting only the matches between the tied teams. Should teams still be tied on net goals, then the difference in gross goals determines the order of merit. If teams still remain tied then the host club's Tournament Committee shall determine the winner by (a)  play off, (b) other equitable test or (c) toss of a coin.
  4. No objection may be lodged after the game on a decision made during the game as to whether a goal was scored or not, or whether the recording of goals was accurate or not. 

E.5 HANDICAP CALCULATION
In all games played under handicap conditions, the higher handicapped team shall concede to the lower handicapped team the difference in team handicaps, divided by 6 and multiplied by the number of chukkers of play in the game. All fractions of a goal shall be counted as "half a goal". Mistakes in handicaps or in computing goal allowances must be challenged before the game begins, and no objection can be entertained afterwards.

F. COMMENCEMENT, INTERRUPTION AND RESUMPTION OF PLAY

F.1 DEAD BALL

  1. The umpire shall carry a whistle, which he shall blow when he wishes to stop the game. The ball is dead at the sound of the whistle and the time it is dead is not counted in the playing time of the period, except as in F.2.
  2. If a whistle is blown for a foul at approximately the same time as the goal is scored:-
    1. The goal will be disallowed if the foul was committed by the attacking team and the foul was confirmed.
    2. The goal will be allowed if the foul was committed by the attacking team and the foul is over-ruled; or if the foul was committed by the defending team whether or not the foul is confirmed.
  3. If the whistle is blown for a foul at approximately the same time as the ball is hit behind the back line and the foul is over-ruled, the ball shall be hit in or a Penalty 6 taken.

F.2 GAME STOPPED
Play shall be continuous until play and the clock are stopped by the umpire blowing the whistle.

F.3 START OF THE GAME
At the beginning of the game the 2 teams shall line up in the middle of the ground, each team being on its own side of the halfway line. The umpire shall bowl the ball underhand and hard between the opposing ranks of players, from a distance of not less than 5 yards, the players remaining stationary until the ball has left his hand. (See Rule K.1).

F.4 CHANGING ENDS 
Ends shall be changed after every goal except where a goal is awarded under Penalty 1. Ends shall also be changed if no goals have been scored by half time (in a 7 or 5 chukker game, after the fourth or third chukker respectively), and play shall be re-started at a position corresponding to the change of ends. After a goal has been scored, the game shall be re-started from the middle of the ground as prescribed in rule F.3 above. The players shall be allowed a reasonable amount of time in which to reach the middle of the ground at the speed of a slow canter and to take up their positions.

F.5 WRONG LINE UP

  1. If the umpire inadvertently permits lining up the wrong way the responsibility rests with him, and there is no redress, but if at the end of the chukker no goal has been scored the ends shall then be changed.
  2. If a player is on the wrong side of the line up, he may not make a play until he is behind a member of his own team.

F.6 ATTACKER HITS BEHIND

  1. The ball must go over and be clear of the back line to be out. 
  2. When the ball is hit behind the back line by the attacking team, it shall be hit in by the defending team from the spot where it crossed the line, but at least 4 yards from the goal posts or boards, when the umpire calls "Play". None of the attacking team shall be behind the striker and shall not be within 30 yards of the back line until the ball is hit or hit at; the defending team being free to place themselves where they choose.
  3. Players shall have a reasonable time to get in to position. 
  4. In the event the hitting team does not hit in promptly following the call of "Play" or hits or hits at the ball before play is called, the umpire shall sound the whistle and throw the ball in underhand and hard, at the spot where the ball crossed the back line at right angles to it. For such a throw in, the team which delayed play shall be on the side nearest the goal.

F.7 DEFENDER HITS BEHIND
If the ball is hit behind the back line by one of the defending team, either directly or after glancing off his own pony, or after glancing off the side boards or goal post, Penalty 6 shall be exacted. If the ball strikes any other object before going behind, it shall be hit in in accordance with Rule F.6.

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