Polo in the Park is back! This weekend sees the return of the inner city tournament, with a host of new rules to make it more spectator friendly and accessible to those unfamiliar with the traditional game.

Polo in the Park is banker Daniel Fox-Davies’ vision. He started playing eight years ago, and thought the sport could be better marketed to the masses. Ironically, it was a nasty polo fall that gave him the answers.

"I'm not really into sport much, other than polo," he admits, yet while recovering from his injuries he watched enough televised cricket and America's Cup coverage to realise that clever tricks can do wonders for an audience's attention span: Colourful graphics to show the audience the path of the ball and punter-friendly rules that make it easier for the audience to understand what is going on.

Polo in the Park, now in its second year, has adapted the rules to form a high-octane version of polo, with the aim of not only introducing the adrenalin fuelled sport to a new city audience, but also of making the sport faster and more exciting for TV and event spectators.

“To steal one man’s idea is plagiarism but to steal many ideas is research, and we’re big on research,” Daniel explains.

There have been a number of rule changes for this tournament. The Hurlingham pitch will be smaller than conventional ones to make the action easier to follow. A new D has been painted on at each end; if player scores a goal from outside the D they score two points instead of one, an idea which was taken from basketball. There will be more severe penalties awarded and two yellow cards will see players get sent to the sin bin for 45 seconds, as in ice hockey.

A fly cam – a camera high above the play – will offer American football-like insights into the action from above. There is also a solid fence around the edge of the arena so the ball stays in play allowing for continuous action throughout the chukka.

Perhaps the most controversial rule of all is the ‘grand prix’ start. Both teams start from within their respective D rings, and when the whistle blows one member from each team gallops flat out towards each other and the ball, which is in the middle of the pitch. The first to hit the ball begins the game, and the second to arrive needs to make sure he is not in the path of the opponent’s hit.

This year, three of England’s best polo players will be playing under the banner of team New York. H&C spoke to team New York: Jack Kidd, Henry Brett and Jamie Morrison about the upcoming tournament.

Jack and Henry both began playing in their mid teens and together won the Pony Club polo championships aged 17.

Jack’s favourite pony is an English Thoroughbred mare called Arosa, who he has produced himself. He bought her in 2005 and the mare is now nine years old and going strong.

Jack, who likes to play golf when not on the polo pitch, helped to create some of the new rules as his role as director of polo in the 2009 series. “Nearly all the rule changes are there to make it easier to enjoy and follow the game. Polo rules are complex; most sports have been through this transition, and polo is going through it now with Polo in the Park. It is designed to bring this amazing sport to people’s appreciation. The new rules are exciting for the audience,” he explained. “The change from four players per team down to three for this year will make the game even faster.”

Jack revealed to H&C that he has a lucky whip that he always uses, and has done for the last three years. He also admitted that at school he was not always a model pupil. “I was naughty, I did everything naughty that I could. I loved not getting caught, but that didn’t happen very often,” he laughed.

Henry Brett, who played on the London team last year, began his ridden career as an eventer, but then started playing polo in the Pony Club, winning the under 14 championships when he was 13, the under 19s when he was 14, and the under 21s when he was 21. He now plays off a handicap of six.

His favourite pony is a mare called Impreza. “I rode her for four minutes then bought her as a three-year-old in England. I paid quite a lot of money for her. Then 18 months later she had colic and we had to operate. She recovered well and has since played high goal matches including the Cartier and the Open in La Dolfina in Argentina two years ago. I still own her but she now breeds in Argentina and we sell the embryos from her.”

“I think a key element of this year’s Polo in the Park is the improvement of the angle of the stands. This year they’ve been made much more steeply angled to create an amphitheatre-like atmosphere,” he said.

“This year’s high risk rule is the start of the game. Whoever gets there first is fine but the player who gets there late is in trouble if the first he hits it, and the second person will have to be quick to pull out. I also think the three man teams will speed up play and you can hit a goal from the half way line quite easily now, so I think there will be higher scores.”

During the English season free weekends are few and far between, but in his rare free time he likes to paraglide and recently gained his PADI diving license.

Henry is excited to be playing at Polo in the Park: “This tournament is really well attended; there could be 30,000 people over the three days, so you’re really in the public eye. Everyone wants to win as it’s a competition people have heard of. From a commercial perspective, its great.”

Henry hopes to continue playing until he is about 50, and wants to be involved in the game in some capacity for as long as he is able.

He thinks the key to being a real horseman and not just a rider is sensitivity with the horses. “You need to be able to ride and stay balanced at speed, plus you also need to have an understanding of horses so you ask the horse things it is capable of doing in whatever play you’re involved in. There’s no point in asking if horse can’t do something, i.e. if it’s too tired or doesn’t have the ability. Remembering that keeps you out of a lot of trouble.”

Jamie Morrison is the third member of the New York team. He has been playing polo for 20 years, since his early teens.

Jamie’s admiration for polo lies in the relationship between horse and rider: “My favourite thing is seeing what a horse and rider can do together on a field or in an arena. It’s a special thing and takes great skill and horsemanship.”

“My favourite pony is a horse that just finished playing with me called Torta Negra. She has been so consistent for many years. Horses are the greatest animals on the planet and have done more for the world and its history than any other.”

In his spare time Jamie likes to travel, spend time with family and friends, listen to music and also enjoys playing many other sports. When playing or riding, his invaluable piece of kit is his polo helmet: “Gotta protect the head!”

He says the new rules “were made so the sport could be adapted to playing in a city and for TV. The rules and format mean that it is more entertaining, fast paced and exciting for the audience. The charge to the ball to start the game is a pretty crazy rule but fun to watch. I think the new rules work for the better for this form of polo.”

Jamie is excited to be playing polo at Hurlingham, which is the traditional home of the sport. It is also very unusual to be playing in the middle of a city.

His secret to good horsemanship is not just riding: “Horses and the ability to ride well is 80 per cent of the game. It takes a lot of saddle time, balance and knowing the horse to be a real horseman. The secret to most shots is getting out of the saddle and having a good technique.”

“I am very much looking forward to getting out there again after our win last year. It’s a fantastic event and showcase and long may it continue to grow!”

With eight global teams confirmed including London, New York, Buenos Aires, Paris, Geneva, Moscow, Durban and Sydney, MINT Polo in the Park will bring the cream of the world’s professional polo talent to London. As an added bonus to the three day festival of polo, there will be a special match between Oxford University and Edinburgh University on Sunday 6 June.