Whroo Polo Club

About Our Club

Established over 5 years ago, WPC provides a friendly and social atmosphere to share your passion for polo and the challenge of playing amongst friends. Being a non-commercial operation, fellow players are helpful and willing to encourage you to improve your skills to enable us to compete together as a team.


Players outside the Hilton relax after Chukka's	Early morning training session

We have a full size ground, good club house facilities and yards within 1.5 hours of Melbourne. Tournaments have been played at “Malabar” for the last 5 years and we hope to stage our first 6-8 goal tournament in November, 2004.

Our club is mostly active at Whroo in October and November until we establish irrigation. We play @ Werribee b/w December & March. Members often put ponies in Livery close to Werribee or may lease ponies during this time. The club supports country club polo where ever possible.

What is our club all about?

Whroo is all about fun, affordable & accessible polo in a friendly, social environment. We are open to newcomers and go out of our way to promote polo, creating opportunities for members and their friends to experience and enjoy the thrill of playing and watching this exciting sport. We aim to be a "club" and enjoy polo, one of the greatest games but at the end of the day - still just a game!

Club Facilities

The WPC facilities are privately owned and situated on the land of a farm owned by Sam McCardel. He has built the menage, clubhouse, yards etc and is establshing a field with boards. These are shared facilities with the farming operation of "Malabar” which the club assists to maintain.

In the clubhouse there is a bar, kitchen, lounge, four bedrooms and two bathrooms with showers. Riders wishing to stay overnight can do so by booking in advance. There is a nominal charge of $20/head per night to cover gas, diesel and maintenance. All members are required to sign the members book and share equal responsibility for the clean upkeep and condition of our facilities under loan.

Club Operation & Volunteer effort

Polo is a social sport; it is not possible to play without the assistance of grooms, other competitors, team mates, umpires, timekeepers, scorekeepers, tournament organizers and other clubs and supporters.

Don't expect it all to be done for you (except perhaps on your first game or two). You have to pitch in and help other players and in return they will help you. Get to know people and learn the proper and safe way to play and participate.

Our WPC Membership costs are as follows –

The cost of playing can rise depending on how much you want to play. However, one of the first things you need in Australia is to be a member of an affiliated club and state association where membership and insurance are paid-up before you play.

Category of Membership	Cost	Benefits

Social	$50	Club Cap or T-shirt, Newsletters, Invitations to our calendar of regular WPC social events, ideal membership for the social spectator not interested in club matters but enjoying polo
Novice	$100	New Players
Playing Team Member	$500	Covers basic membership and running costs. Playing members (VPA registered) can utilise the club field anytime, have first right of refusal for every weekend to play in regular matches, and are entitled to first option on accommodation, clinics, and Whroo players. They can also lease polo ponies, get inexpensive transport, livery and grooming. How are funds spent? Upkeep of the polo field & facilities, offset of running/admin costs, polo promotion and club growth. Your membership includes $218 worth of pulbic liabliltiy & personal accident insurance cover, a club cap or t-shirt, newsletter & priority guest accomodation at the famous half star Hilton. In the spirit of being a "club" members are required to volunteer some time to assist the club at club events; dinners, tournaments. This membership does not include any club management repsonsbility or need to vote or attend meetintgs etc Ideal for the casual player

Founding Membership &/or Underwriting (as required)	$5-20k annually PLUS as required	Covers basic membership and running costs, use of facilties, first right to play, acommodation, clinics, nomination's fee's on home tournaments, $218 worth of pulbic liabliltiy & personal accident insurance cover, a club cap or t-shirt, newsletter PLUS ... endless hours of voluntary labour, club orgnaisational time, organising social activities, full club management repsonsbility, field committe, social committee, cocktail parites, VPA delegate position, tournament orgnaisation etc etc etc

Clinics, Tournaments, Special offers & VPA fee's

Weekend polo clinics	$550/day	Covers all your meals, Accommodation, Leasing of ponies, Professional coaching, theory, mallet hire & "one-off" insurance.

Tournament Nomination Fee (click here for details)	$100/hd	for Polo players - covers Sat night dinner & entertainment, ambulence, tournament nomination (chukka fee's) and yards etc.

Introductory Polo Offer	$100 pp	Once off offer for new novices "having a go" includes pony hire, some coahcing, bbq dinner & accommodation for 1.5 hrs stick and ball session at Whroo (or elswehre by arrangement)

VPA fee's 1st year	$250	We are not sure what this covers !?
VPA fee's Senior	$500	We are not sure what this covers !?

Membership runs from October 1st to September 30th each year.

Of course, if you join outside the membership year, you will only pay a pro-rata amount. The membership charges cover such things as insurance, chukka fees, administration, club maintenance, newsletters.

WPC - Budgeted Annual Expenditure - 2006/2007

Corporate Affairs; annual return	$75
Advertising Club Events; clinics etc	$400
Club Car Park - Werribee; Melb Cup	$440
Mowing & Watering polo field; diesal, labour, R&M	$5400
Power, Gas (temporary clubhouse)	$1000
Office Printing, Postage & Stationery	$750
Facility Fee; covering rates, lease, use of facilities etc	$TBC
VPA; Club affilation fee	$1000
Website Hosting; ~ $50/qtr	$200
Annual Sanding (post new turf sowing March 2007)	$10,000
Insecticides & Herbicides (post new turf surface)	$800
Groundsman	$1300
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Total	$21,365 +
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Founder of the Whroo Polo Club - Sam McCardel

“Rugby on horseback crossed, high speed golf and chess, except all the pieces on the board are moving at once plus the this fast & very hard plastic ball” is how I would describe polo. Possibly the most exhilarating game I have ever experienced and most likely ever will, it why it is totally addictive.

For some it is a glamorous sport, others have broken several bones learning how to play (me for one) and for yet others it is a passport to the world .... even another ‘world’ where there is an amazing cross section of society – from equestrian fanatics to talented Argentinean’s, struggling addicted players to wealthy patrons alongside cool, smooth and charismatic pro’s. Indeed polo is a diverse world, full of more than its fair share of colorful characters, horse traders, gentlemen and young blood eager to mix.

In the words of the successful Sydney businessman and polo patron Peter Higgins – “this is due to the level and nature of experience the individual has had with their polo club” … and indeed their first experiences in polo. “Every polo club is different and has their own individual style and culture”.

Whroo prides its self on being a down to earth and practical club with a community conscience. Whroo is known for its fun & very successful “bush polo” tournament which has been running since 1999 and like “Polo by the Sea” our tournament benefits selected charities and is a great day out in the bush.

We also understanding that not all players are millionaires yet they can still enjoy polo. We strives to provide low cost membership, polo clinics and to share our resources to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy this great game. Whroo polo club competes in other club tournaments and strives to support polo in the North East of Victoria.

Facts about polo .... in Australia

Rough comparison of statistics about polo in Australia - number of clubs, players, costs, etc

Criteria for Comparison	VIC	SA	WA	QLD	NSW

No of reg. & paid up players	46	58	50	115	260
Main (largest) Club	Werribee PNEC	Adelaide	Perth	GCPC	Windsor
Fields at main facility	3	2	1	3	3
No of playing fields	7	4	6	8 -10	25
% of private fields / total	3 / 6	tbc	2 / 6	6 / 8-10	10 / 25
Number of Clubs	6	5	5	11	20
Ave Membership Cost	$2,200	$800	$700	$230	$600
Club Affiliation Fee	$125	$2000	$TBC	$2,500	$2,500
NIS Member	Yes	Yes	Yes, User Pays System	Yes	Yes
Nomination fee's	NO	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Club & Association Structure	Association Managed Polo	Club System	Club	Club	Club
Tournaments per season	20	25 - tbc	20	30 -tbc	30 - tbc

What is "Bush Polo" ?

We coined the name 'bush polo' to adjust everyone expectations a little, since polo has a particularly "elite" image and this is not always good for the sport, discouraging some from considering what is great game and having a go. And after all .. that is all that it is - a game! And not that there is anything wrong with "elitism" but does suggest only players with a large string of ponies (6-8), a prime mover, several grooms, a farm and other apparent necessities.

Yes, polo can be played with a string of 6-8 ponies or as little as 2-3 ponies. Either way the game is the same. And with two ponies you don't have to have a huge prime mover, grooms and a pro! When you get up to"A" grade polo playing 12 - 16 goals, that is great but still many players "double chukka" ponies playing their first horse in the 1st and 3rd chukka and 2nd horse in the 2nd & 4th chukka in a 4 chukka match. This is what is called "double chukkering" and is common in polo, especially when you start out.

Two Horse / 4 Chukka Polo

There are a significant number of polo players who play with as few as 2-3 ponies in 4 chukka polo and this is common all over Australia. At the D, C & even B grade level, there are significantly more players who's string is but a few trusty steeds. A couple of state associations have kept alive the horse / 4 chukka polo, maintaining the ranks of players, especially on country circuits such as the very successful "Southern NSW" polo circuit.