UK Polo Schools Report Record Beginner Uptake — Driven by Women Under 35

The Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) has released its annual membership and participation report for the 2025 season, revealing the strongest beginner uptake figures in the organisation's 140-year history.\n\nTotal polo school enrolments across HPA-affiliated clubs rose 34% year-on-year, with 4,800 individuals taking their first mounted polo lesson in the UK — up from 3,580 in the 2024 season. The headline finding of the report is the demographic shift driving this growth: 61% of new polo school participants were women aged 25-35, many citing social media content and high-profile women's polo coverage as their introduction to the sport.\n\nClubs reporting the largest increases include Cowdray Park (up 41%), Cirencester Park (up 38%), and a cluster of newer regional clubs in Scotland, the Midlands, and the Southwest. The HPA notes that several clubs have added dedicated beginner lesson slots on weekday evenings for the first time, responding to demand from working professionals.\n\nPricing for polo school tasters remains a frequent discussion point. The UK average for a first lesson package (three 90-minute sessions with horse hire) currently sits at £285-£390, with London-area clubs charging at the upper end of this range. The HPA has introduced a subsidised introduction package at six member clubs specifically targeting under-25 participants.\n\nThe report also notes growing demand for corporate polo experiences, which have acted as a gateway for individual participants — over 1,200 people who took a corporate polo day in 2025 subsequently booked individual lessons at the same club within three months.\n\n"The old perception of polo as exclusively aristocratic is finally breaking down," said HPA Chief Executive James Dunbar. "This is a sport that people from diverse backgrounds are genuinely discovering and sticking with."