What's going on in the Poloverse

I found Facebook thing. New player polo on a Friday, lets hope it's on despite the bank holiday!

There's a private page. I'll post and ask for ya!

I joined already!

I misread the group - it's on a wednesday and is happening today but our dumb flight doesn't get in until 11! Next week it is!

Important poll for Global Polo

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIDIZP7OzSvUjxiND3URKer9gMRVVGy1uHebaP86VYiAqnSw/viewform

EHBA announced a couple of days ago to host a 3v3 euros. There has been some controversy over this as since last year's worlds Australasia, North America and Latin America have made movements to organising major tournaments in squad format.

The French committee released this poll to see what the global community prefers as the format for major tournaments (i.e. Euros, Worlds etc...)

Please vote and share.

This will not effect the majority of tournaments or play at club level, but is I believe important for the development of polo at a global level.

My personal belief is that there are benefits to both formats but that the deciding factor should be what helps bike polo keep momentum and a sense of direction.

For that reason I think it is important to stick with Squad, which for right or wrong was implemented last year, because to continue a trend of switching between formats will only cause greater schisms in the international community.

3v3 for life... ;)

I dont think there's an organic move towards squad - most were just doing it to prep for the worlds and yeah the reason for switching to squad last year was flawed (sponsors? What sponsors? HD steam? What HD?) and this was against the majority in the poll which decided for 3v3.

Many scenes just aren't big enough to support the squad format: you need at least two groups of five players who don't mind playing on the same team as each other, you need minimum 10 turnout for a training session, you need courts with multiple doors.

Yup this too!

The main problem now is that the rest of the world is moving towards squad, to switch back to 3v3 would pretty much kill any chances of the next worlds, because people lose patience with the amount of indecision and it is harder to kick two people off your team than bring two people in.

As I mentioned it isn't to do with positives or negatives, it is to do with direction.

The main thing that bike polo needs right now is to keep momentum.

harder to kick two people off your team than bring two people in

Run that past my comment again..?

I'll go as far as calling the decision to have squad at the last World's a fraud and in the absence of a fresh poll (which I acknowledge is underway), the prior survey (which 3v3 was the overall preference) should still stand.

Combining that with the informal consultations with the rest of the world, the decision was forced upon others just because of the hosting rights.

Lest we forget, there were plenty of dissenting voices against squad (loads on FB, can't be bothered to dig them out) so I have my reservations on this sudden move towards squad thingy. Was the World's squad format that well received? The organisers did a post World's survey so it'll be interesting to see what that said.

Yeah I get you beagle and I didn't like NAH's way about doing things. But the fact remains they forced it through and now that is the standard for a lot of Major tournaments across the globe. So we have to deal with the issue at hand, not the one a year ago...

Anyway, people can just make their own decisions.

How many other major tournaments?

Who wants to be a world champ anyway?
3x3 for life

What we really need to be talking about is 4v4

Sweet compromise

It’s a way of keeping our identity whilst still staying in the bench squad market

Yeah good luck finding courts 4 that.

@M_A_X qualis, continental, global.

Anyway maybe the whole system is fucked. Was talking with Django about doing away with Championships altogether and having a mini Grand Slam series like in Tennis. Main benefit of this is that tournaments can be held with one court, making it easier to organise and opening up the possibility of putting on events in more high profile locations. Could be a really good way of growing the sport because so far there has been little interest from big sponsors.

We run the risk of creating a split, where there might not have been one, because people want to make something definitive.

In Brum we play 3v3 because that's what our court allows. But that doesn't mean we're against squad. If there's a definitive however, and people vote for squad, It would mean that we could never host a major tournament. Shrinking the polo pool again.

If a bad/divisive decision was made, keeping momentum is not a good reason to accept it. The decision should be revisited. (ahem, brexit)

3v3 for lyf

Really Emmet?

@M_A_X qualis, continental, global.

From post #3641

I dont think there's an organic move towards squad - most were just doing it to prep for the worlds and yeah the reason for switching to squad last year was flawed

Bad call to add 'i don't give a shit' as a choice

I call third revote by end on 2018

Well not if the rest of the world thinks it is a good idea, if so reverting to 3v3 is more akin to Brexit than the original move to squad. There are positives and negatives to squad just as there are with 3v3, the strength of a decision (in bikepolo) at the moment is if it has support from the organising bodies around the world.

Currently, on paper, it looks like Europe is going against the international community.
However, I have also heard that the Latin American and Australian / NZ communities may just be going along with squad because NAH forced it through last year. If that is the case it is good that Europe is challenging the decision. If not, then not so...