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  • Boom.

    Somewhere to play bike polo!

    Hello,

    I'm the chairman of the London Hardcourt Bike Polo Association (LHBPA) and represent the London bike polo community in London. I was wondering if you could pass on any further information regarding the "somewhere to" project as we're currently trying to get a bike polo court built in London!

    Here's some more info about the sport: Bike polo was invented in 1891 and the hardcourt variant has grown rapidly in the last two years with over 100 regular players in London and over 20,000 players worldwide, the sport is doubling is size each year with two new cities registering a bike polo scene around the world each week! For more information on the history of bike polo and where we play, please visit: www.lhbpa.org

    The LHBPA started the European Championships for bike polo in 2009 and are now looking to lead the way across Europe in raising awareness of our need for new courts and areas to play within (our US counterparts already have purpose-built bike polo courts). Currently it's difficult to find a court that we can use (most facilities simply aren't appropriate for bike polo as there are few walled courts of the right size, etc). This year the growing number of players means we need to find (or develop) new courts across London, currently hardcourt bike polo is played wherever we can find a court that meets the following criteria:

    []A flat, level playing surface so the ball moves in a predictable manner.
    [
    ]Walled or solid sides that players can ride along without risking injury.
    []No permanent uprights/fixtures anywhere on the court (as players can ride into them).
    [
    ]Flood lights so play can continue during the Winter months.
    []Spectator area for non-players and refs to observe from.
    [
    ]No gaps, or holes in the court fencing/walls that our ~10cm diameter ball can pass through.

    Ideally we need to find (or develop) courts that are 15m x 35m in size and we're eager to try out coin-operated lights systems and the possibility of court rental so we can have dedicated use of existing facilities for 1/2 days a week. We have been fundraising somewhat and plan to petition property owners and councils to try and get some momentum for our cause, but the "somewhere to" project also sounds right up our street?

    If you could advise us on what we need to do to get involved that'd be great!

    Thanks you for your time,

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