Hardcourt Bike Polo

Hardcourt bike polo is an ideal activity to get kids outdoors and active since minimal equipment is needed to participate. In addition, polo tournaments are family events that gather members of the communities to connect through sport.

Program Objectives:

  • To connect the local communities through sport, fostering cooperation and understanding through healthy competition. 
  • To create the first Hardcourt Bike Polo School in Costalegre and engage with bike polo clubs elsewhere in Mexico. 
  • To develop important values, such as discipline, respect, perseverance and teamwork while promoting an active lifestyle.

Program Stats:

  • 60 children playing with one instructor, himself an international bike polo player. 
  • Two schools created, one in Miguel Hidalgo Nuevo and another in Fransisco Villa, with children from five communities participating.
  • Beyond open scrimmaging and instruction in rules and gameplay, classes involve exercises to practice strength, precision, and better control of the bicycle. 
  • Since the inauguration of the schools, there have been 3 tournaments. The goal is to have a delegation participate in national and international competitions. 

History of Bike Polo: 

The sport of bike polo originated in Ireland in the 1890s and was played on a rectangular grass field measured 150 meters by 100 meters. Hardcourt bike polo originated 100 years later in Seattle, Washington, USA and is played on a court of 35 to 40 meters in length and 18 to 20 meters in width. Since its origin, hardcourt bike polo has spread to every continent (with the exception of Antartica). It has been featured by Adidas, ESPN, GQ, and Trans World Sport. The Bicipolo Tapatio club introduced the sport to Mexico in October 2009, and additional clubs have since been formed in San Luis Potosi and Mexico City. 

How the Sport is Played:

Matches are played in teams of three versus three or five versus five. A team wins when it reaches five points first or if it has the highest score when time runs out. Tournament game length varies from twelve minutes to hour long matches with thirty minute halves. Players must strike the ball with the short end of their mallet to make a goal (like in horse polo) and are not allowed to put their foot on the ground without penalty. Like hockey, hardcourt bike polo is a full contact sport. Minimal equipment is required. Bikes are single speed and of a low gear ratio but vary in frame type. The ball is hard plastic and 2.5 inches in diameter (similar to a street hockey ball), and mallets are approximately one meter long and made out of aluminum and special plastic.