Bike polo, the world's fastest growing game on two wheels, holds its first national event in Scotland. It's a great opportunity to discover this highly accessible and thoroughly addictive young sport. A variation of bike polo played on grass has been around for over a century. Bike polo was a demonstration sport at the 1908 London Olympics. However, this tournament has a different pedigree.
The rapidly expanding version of bike polo played in tennis courts, hockey rinks, lacrosse boxes, and other concrete courts has been around for a little over a decade. Hardcourt bike polo emerged out of Seattle, a game developed by bored cycle couriers around the bursting of the dot com bubble, and has spread to cities around the world via the internet.
The game embraces a DIY ethic with players building their own mallets from old ski poles and lightweight industrial plastic piping for the mallet heads, and adapting bikes for the rough and tumble of the game.
Basic bike polo rules
There are a few essential rules, which have gradually been built on over the years (see LHBPA Rules). Two teams of three compete to shoot a ball through a small goal on either side of the court. The team that gets to five or the team with the most goals at the end of time wins the game.
To score a goal a player must strike the ball with the end of the mallet. If the ball is struck with the side of the mallet it is considered a “shuffle” and the goal is disallowed.
If a player puts a foot down then he or she must “tap out” by tapping a point in the centre of the court before he or she can re-enter the game. As far as contact goes, the general guideline is that body on body, mallet on mallet, bike on bike is acceptable, but no combinations of the above.
UK Bike Polo championship Tickets
Specators are welcomed (£2 donation)