The Ibadan Polo Club on Saturday began a two-day event, “Polo & People”, aimed at showing residents of Ibadan the beauty of polo and giving them a first-hand experience of the game.
The opening day, October 10, 2026, held at the club’s ground in Eleyele, Ibadan, under the afternoon sun. Young adults and older residents turned out in large numbers.
The programme opened with “Polo 101”, a session that taught the audience the basics of the sport and what happens on the field.
The match followed, with a coin toss by the club’s Membership Secretary, Mr Femi Faboya. A club member, Mr Adedapo Oshodi, rolled the official ball onto the field.
The game began with energy and intensity from the players, and the first goal went to the Ibadan side, Graham Beck. Each period lasts seven minutes, ending with a bell, after which players rest. Extra time is allowed for them to change horses.
Speaking with our correspondent, the club’s President, Mr Abimbola Adeyemi, said the event was meant to change public perception of the sport.
“It is basically to introduce people to polo. Some people think polo is an elite sport, for the boujiees and the elite,” he said. He added that others consider it dangerous because of the risks of horse riding.
He said the Polo 101 session was designed to address these views, adding that the event “is not about the club or its players, it’s for the public.”
Adeyemi, who joined the club as a child player and has played since 1994, said his hope was that attendees would leave believing polo is accessible. “Everybody can play polo and anyone can play it,” he said.
He described the sport as no more difficult than racket or stick games like tennis, stressing that the key requirement is learning horsemanship.
On membership, Adeyemi said the club has two categories: playing members and social members. All applicants are screened, he said, to protect the prestige and heritage of a club that has existed for over 100 years.
“We do not want every tom, dick and Harry to join,” he said, adding that not everyone has a clean record.
Asked what comes to mind when he hears “polo”, he said “fun”, noting that, unlike in other sports, players remain friends on and off the field.
He said three home teams featured in the event, alongside Team Bemil from Lagos, which came with its own horses. All other horses belong to Ibadan players, as the club does not own horses and encourages members to own theirs.
Adeyemi, who owns horses himself, said a player needs more than one. “Ideally, four horses is what you use to play polo,” he said.
The club’s ground sits on several acres of grass at Eleyele, with over 30 horses owned by members.
