‘Marcos’ began playing polo at school in Argentina at a time when many of the private schools sported polo teams. At 14 he worked for the legendary Argentinian horse trainer and player, Hector Barrantes, which took him to England as a groom at 17. From that point his polo vocation took off and he turned professional in 1977. Since then, he has played in 28 different countries in a career spanning over 35 years.

“I was always interested in visiting places and meeting different people,” said Marcos, who has always been based in the United States but “my heart,” he says, “is in Argentina.

Five years since joining the umpire program sees Marcos umpire in Wellington, New Orleans and New Jersey and he knows firsthand that the system is working. “The new system that the USPA created is fantastic,” he said. “They trained us so that you look at the game in a totally different way and I am thankful for that because it made me enjoy umpiring professionally.”

He is also struck by the depth of responsibility that falls on the professional umpire's shoulders. “My job is to keep everyone safe, on and off the field whether they foul or not,” he said, referring to incidents such as a dog running on the field or in one instance a small child sitting on the boards with her back to the field as play came towards her. “I stopped the game,” he said, “and explained to the parents that there is a safety zone.

“You need to be aware of what’s happening on the side of the field. Umpiring is about controlling emotions on the field, anticipating accidents that could happen, keeping the horses and players safe - and keeping it fair for both parties.”