WELCOME TO ROYAL NAVY POLO

The Royal Navy’s connection with polo has been long and 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 Mediterranean Fleet helped to start the Malta Polo Club.

The Royal Navy Polo Association (RNPA) was founded in 1929 by Admiral of the Fleet Lord Keyes and continues to this day under the umbrella of Royal Navy and Royal Marines Equestrian Association.  When the Royal Navy withdrew from Malta in 1962, the RNPA and its ponies returned to the UK to Taunton Vale Polo Club in Somerset.  With the subsequent establishment of a base for Combined Services Polo at Tidworth In 1994, the RNPA moved to its current home at Tidworth Polo Club, where it maintains a string of ponies for members’ use.

The purpose of the RNPA is to maintain the game of polo within the Royal Navy and Royal Marines by encouraging new players into the sport.  The association seeks to promote polo for all ranks throughout the Royal Navy and Royal Marines by making it fun and affordable. To do this, significant financial subsidies are available for pony hire, introductory courses and foreign tours (all conditional on membership of the Sports Lottery Scheme), making playing Navy polo the cheapest in the country.  The aim for 2012 reflects the increased focus on the development of polo within the Service and is:

·        To strive for success in the principal military fixtures,

·         To bring on established players and assist them in progressing to the next level,

·         To encourage new players into the sport,

·         To contribute to the CSPA.