Polo is about to get an image makeover

The riding sport, beloved of royals, Hooray Henrys and sporting country families, will have a brand new look and feel when F3Polo makes its debut in Australia.

Sam Hopkinson was a professional polo player and has sat on the board of the Australian Polo Federation for 10 years. Picture: Stephen Mowbray

Polo, the beloved sport of royals, Hooray Henrys, sporting country families and those of us who like any opportunity to buy a new hat, is set for a shake-up in Australia with the arrival of F3Polo (fast3polo).

The fast and furious sport, which changes everything from the ball to how many players are on the field and how close the spectators are to the action, is the brainchild of New Zealand-born, Sydney-based former professional polo player Sam Hopkinson and business partner Simon Wilson

F3Polo will debut in Sydney’s Centennial Park in November, and will also take over the Portsea Polo in February.

A long-time fixture on the social calendar, the Portsea Polo has not run since 2020. The Australian Polo Federation – on whose board Hopkinson sits – is partnering with F3Polo.

“Sports have to reinvent themselves to be able to gain more following, market share and excitement,” says Hopkinson, who likens the sport’s format to Sevens rugby, Big Bash cricket and LIV Golf.

Australian Polo Federation president Mark Adamson says the F3 format will bring the game closer to people who might not normally see it.

“Getting up close and personal to the speed and the skill of the horses and players is a great showcase for the broader game while creating a new revenue stream for the sport and player development at a grassroots level,” he says.

“We are particularly enthusiastic when events are run for the betterment of the sport, most importantly the welfare of the horses and players.

“This F3Polo event ticks all the boxes for the APF … (and) we are very encouraged by the opportunities this event will produce for the growth of polo in Australia.”

F3Polo is backed by a consortium of private investors and is currently already played in New Zealand and Singapore, with plans to take it to New York in 2026.

F3Polo wants to bring new attention to the sport of polo.

Hopkinson says traditional polo has struggled to gain significant growth in Australia over the past 20 years.

“In my view (this is) due to two things: the lack of grassroots participation, due to the high barriers to entry, and the fact it has no broadcast opportunities and therefore low revenue streams,” he says.

“Polo is an incredible game that you can never fully master … polo was a passport to the world and I was very lucky to be able to compete at the top level during that time. There is no doubt that it would be very hard for young Australian or Kiwi players to do the same thing these days.”

The participation of the Australian Polo Federation is, says Hopkinson, a significant step in rectifying this. “The Federation being involved in this type of event is crucial to address the issues of sport development by accessing a broad new audience and sharing in the revenue streams created.”

This new iteration of polo in Australia will capitalise on its long-time association with luxury and glamour, with partnerships with luxury brands such as champagne house Veuve Clicquot and rose brand Whispering Angel. Both belong to the Moet Hennessy portfolio, which sits under luxury conglomerate LVMH.

Hopkinson says the new game has attracted luxury brands wanting to associate with the sport in this new format.

Globally, the sport – sometimes dubbed the “sport of kings” – has attracted sponsorship from the likes of jewellers Cartier and Piaget, Ralph Lauren and high-end watchmaker Richard Mille.

The event will have corporate hospitality suites, as well as music, food stalls and opportunities to interact with both the players and the horses.

Sportscraft, the official outfitter of the Australian Olympic team, will kit out all of the players. Hopkinson is married to Sportscraft chief executive Elisha Hopkinson.

The growing synergy between sport and luxury is in sharp focus following the major investment of LVMH into Formula One earlier this year and the Olympics in 2024.

According to research from industry publication The Business of Fashion, the sport sponsorship market is predicted to reach $US109.1bn ($167.3bn), up from $US63bn, by 2030.

On a cultural influence front, Polo, a Netflix documentary series by Prince Harry – a noted polo fan – debuted in 2024.

Whether it will have the same impact as fly-on-the-wall F1 series Drive to Survive remains to be seen. Hopkinson is hopeful.

“I think as a whole it was positive by creating more awareness. Some of the characters were perhaps in it for the wrong reason, like a lot of reality TV,” he says. “But when it focused on the elite Argentine players I thought (it) was a much better reflection of the commitment and dedication in the sport.

“Like (in) Drive to Survive, it’s what goes into the sport behind the scenes that is the real story, and I think polo probably has more opportunity in that space.”

F3Polo will debut in Sydney on Saturday, November 8 at Centennial Park, followed by Portsea on February 14, 2026. f3polo.com.au