What is it?

NZ Polocrosse

What is Polocrosse?

Polocrosse is a great fun team sport that is both exciting to play and spectacular to watch. It is played outside, on a field (the pitch), on horseback. Each rider uses a racket with a loose, thread net, in which the ball is carried. The ball is made of sponge rubber and is approximately four inches across. The objective is to score goals by throwing the ball between the opposing team's goal posts.

In a Polocrosse game, each team has 6 players separated into two sections of three players each. Members of each of the two divisions can choose to play 2, 3 or 4 chukkas of 6-8 minutes in line with the rules of a particular tournament. The two sections from each team alternate on and off the field each chukka.

For every match, there may be 4, 6 or even 8 chukkas. Members 1, 2 and 3 play the respective roles of No. 1 (attack), No.2 (combination of defence and offence), and No.3 (defence).

The Polocrosse field measures 60 by 160 yards (55m X 146m) with three distinct sections. The goal scoring areas on each end are 30 yards long. Only the No. 1 of the attacking team and the No. 3 of the defending team can play in these areas.

The middle area is 100 yards long and the line separating the goal scoring and centre areas is called the penalty or thirty-yard line. The goal posts are set 8ft. apart. To score, the ball must be thrown from outside an 11-yard semicircle in front of the goal.

Polocrosse is played by both males and females of all ages. Tournaments offer grades to suit all ages and abilities, it is not uncommon to see three generations playing in the same team. The first polocrosse club in New Zealand formed in 1967 in the King Country and has since spread and developed extensively over the north island.

History of New Zealand Polocrosse