Overview
Trade polo horses for bicycles, the well-manicured lawn for an abandoned tennis court, and you have a rough idea of Brisbane's latest emerging sport: underground bike polo.
Played much like the original, bike polo consists of three players on each team, navigating the court on their bicycles while wielding mallets. The objective is to hit the ball into your opposing team's goal, made from a mail bin, a street hockey goal, or other improvised object. The sport is intense: full contact, bike-on-bike, and no feet are allowed on the ground at any time. The first team to score five goals wins.
The concept of bike polo has been around for some time, but was solidified into a competitive sport by a group of Seattle, Washington kids 14 years ago. It didn't take long for others to catch on, and within 5 years the game had gone global. In Australia, the sport seems to have taken on a different tone depending on where it is played. According to a Brisbane-based team - the Majestic Pink Shafts - the bike polo community in their hometown is "friendly and social"; in Melbourne it is 'more competitive', and in Sydney it is enjoying newfound popularity. Organised tournaments are arranged, but there is a strong underground movement in the sport as well.
Ali McLatchie, proud member of the Majestic Pink Shafts, emphasises that bike polo is about fun, not necessarily winning tournaments.
“It’s inclusive," she told The Vine. "We want our sport to grow. So if anyone’s ever watching, someone will come over and chat and explain the game to them, ask if they want to borrow a bike – that sort of thing … The whole point of polo and why it’s so amazing and why everyone plays it is because it’s a social underground thing. It’s just about hanging out with your friends and having fun.”