THE Combined Services Polo Association (CSPA) is responsible for overseeing, encouraging and co-ordinating polo for the three Services throughout the world. The Royal Navy and Royal Marine Equestrian Association, the Army Polo Association (which includes the Rhine Army Polo Association) and the Royal Air Force Polo Club are all subordinate to the CSPA, but represented on the Combined Services Polo Committee. Tidworth Polo Club remains the centre fore Combined Services Polo. CSPA grounds and Clubs include Tidworth, Sandhurst and those in Germany. Click here for the CSPA Charter

ARMY POLO ASSOCIATION
THE Army Polo Association (APOLOA) was founded in 1998 to co-ordinate and encourage polo in the Army, both at home and abroad. Incorporated as part of APOLOA, the Rhine Army Polo Association (RAPA) remains responsible for running army polo in Germany and includes both servicemen and German civilians. In the United Kingdom, servicemen are integrated as members, within the different clubs. At the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the polo is specifically aimed at teaching and encouraging polo among the cadets and staff of the Military Academy.

ROYAL NAVAL POLO ASSOCIATION
THE Royal Navy’s connection with polo has been long and very distinguished. Polo was played by naval teams in a number of foreign stations as early as the 1860s, and in 1874, the staff of Commander in Chief Fleet Mediterranean helped to start the Malta Polo Club and this became the centre of naval polo until 1962. Admiral of the Fleet Louis Mountbatten was a key influential figure during the Malta period. The RN Polo Association (RNPA) was actually founded in 1929 by Admiral of the Fleet Lord Keyes and this was subsumed into the RN Equestrian Association in 1957. With the reduction in the size of the Fleet, a change was clearly needed if the sport was to continue in the Service and in 1962 the RNPA’s five ponies transferred from Malta to Taunton Vale Polo Club and continued there until 1994 on moving to the current base at Tidworth Polo Club, the centre for Combined Services polo. The RNPA maintains six ponies at Tidworth which may be booked through the club manager. Despite the difficulties of integrating polo into a career at sea, RN polo has been remarkably successful in recent years with a first ever victory in the Inter-Regimental competition in1989, repeated in 1996, and seven wins against the Army and six against the RAF in the last decade in the Rundle cup and Duke of York Cup respectively.

ROYAL AIR FORCE
ROYAL Air Force polo began in 1919 as a natural consequence of the mainly ex-cavalry officers of the new Service coming into contact with the vast areas of flat grass on aerodromes. Between the wars, Sir Winston Churchill encouraged polo among airmen because he recognised that the skills of tactical awareness, co-ordination and rapid manouevre needed for polo were similar to those necessary for aerial combat.

BRITISH FORCES GERMANY POLO CLUB
POLO was restarted by the Rhine Army in Germany after the war and has continued ever since. A very large number of officers and soldiers who are posted around the world originally learnt with RAPA. Many Germans are learning the game alongside their British counterparts as RAPA concentrates on introducing newcomers to low goal polo. There are about 40 active players.

ROYAL MILITARY ACADEMY SANDHURST POLO CLUB
THE Sandhurst Polo Club currently owns 16 ponies and with the use of several grounds and a wooden horse, it has been able to introduce the sport to large number of Officer Cadets. The Club is a military club and remains restricted to military members. The Club exists to introduce polo to Officer Cadets and to further develop the skills of existing players, with the hope that they will continue wth the sport as they progress through their military careers. Visit www.rmaspolo.co.uk

TIDWORTH POLO CLUB
THE Club was a centre of Army polo from 1908. Today, members from all three services and a ver significant civilian membership play together in a lively and friendly atmosphere. The famous Fisher and Tattoo grounds are among the most handsome in England and the two grounds nearby at Perham Down are excellent in wet weather. The Club now ha sthe third largest polo playing membership in the country and has become a byword for genuine low goal polo excellence. There are many tournaments and matches covering the full range of low goal polo.