The All Pro Polo League (APPL) kicked off its 2017 European Tour in style at Chantilly Polo Club in France. Founder Javier Tanoira was there to oversee the game and explain the rules to those watching. The APPL works to promote fast, open polo, where all eight players on the field are fully involved in the game.
“Putting a game together seems easy, but there is a lot of polo going on at this time of year; a lot of players have commitments with their teams and patrons, and I don’t want them to leave those behind,” says Tanoira.
“But luckily, good players came through. It was tough to put the game together but when I looked at the players on the field today, I saw that they were eight of the top ten here in France. That makes me feel like this can work. We are attracting people who share our vision; when you do things like this with no funding, the people who get involved are those who understand what we are trying to achieve.”
The APPL has gained popularity among some of the most prominent figures in polo today, one of them being Eduardo Novillo Astrada, the newly elected President of the Argentine Polo Association (AAP). Due to the dynamic nature of the All Pro Polo League, the the possibility of adapting APPL rules to certain tournaments during the spring season in Argentina is being discussed.
The APPL will host its next exhibition match at Cowdray Park Polo Club, England, on July 9th, before heading off to Sotogrande to host its annual Black Eagle Tournament at Santa Maria Polo Club from July 20-22.
Teams:
– IN THE WINGS:
Adrien Le Gallo
Facundo Fernandez Llorente
Pancho Bensadon
Joaquin Maiquez
– SANTA CLARA:
Florent Garraud
Simon Zavaleta
Martin Aguerre (h)
Dario Musso