NEWS

Robin Sanchez wears many hats in the world of polo—coach, umpire, promoter and a key force behind the Texas Arena League (TAL), one of the largest and most inclusive polo leagues in the United States. Recognized for her decades of dedication, she has been instrumental in making arena polo one of the sport’s most accessible and fastest-growing formats in the U.S.

Each winter, TAL brings together players of all levels, from polo school students to seasoned U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship competitors, in a format that emphasizes competition, accessibility and community. In 2025, the league welcomed over 130 players and hosted three USPA national tournaments, while continuing to expand into new venues and divisions. TAL has become a blueprint for how arena polo can grow the sport from the ground up.

Sanchez’s perspective goes beyond Texas. Part of the newly restructured USPA Arena Committee, she is helping to shape the national strategy for arena polo’s development—both as a pathway for young players and as a platform for high-level, spectator-friendly events. As the II FIP Arena World Polo Championship approaches this October in Virginia, and new arena leagues are forming across the U.S., the timing could not be more relevant.

Robin, how would you describe the 2025 Texas Arena League season?
“Texas Arena League continues to be a force for polo in the region and beyond. We had over 130 players! No other polo event in the U.S. gets this level of participation other than the nationwide Interscholastic/Intercollegiate program. Texas Arena League continues to grow and the committee is always trying to find ways to accommodate the requests and needs of our players and partners. We had some amazing End-of-League Awards, which everyone always looks forward to and played three USPA national tournaments during the league: National Arena Chairman's Cup, National Arena Delegate’s Cup and National Arena Bronze Cup.

The status and notoriety of the league from a player, partner and spectator viewpoint are substantial. Utilizing multi-disciplinary arenas—San Antonio Rose Palace [San Antonio, Texas] and Dripping Springs Ranch Park Center & Arena [Hays Country, Texas]—has added another layer to the league. These facilities are used for everything from rodeo and Christmas craft shows to jumping and dog agility. We have gone in and built out a polo arena for the weekend and exposed a new demographic to the sport. Plus, these locations are good at getting the footing right for arena polo.”

What were the standout moments or milestones from this year’s TAL season that you believe best represent its growth?
“Texas Arena League added an 8- to 12-goal division, which had eight teams competing in the National Arena Chairman's Cup. With the success of hosting the U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship for the first time in [Brookshire] Texas, there was a demand for a higher level of arena play. The B and C-Flights also continued to be very strong - these are the lower levels of play during Texas Arena League and it proves that the league is for everyone, from polo school to Open players. Texas Arena League continued to build out polo arenas in locations that aren't traditional polo clubs. This brings arena polo to locations and spectators that have never seen polo and creates more excitement.”

How have you seen the B and C-Flights evolve this year?
“Polo Training Foundation (PTF) helped support the B and C-Flights again this year. C-Flight is for polo school-level players and young kids. It allows those new players to play their first competitive polo in a safe and fun atmosphere. B-Flight is for -1 and 0-rated players only. In the U.S., we have a lot of university students learning arena polo. Texas Arena League creates a path for these players to continue in arena polo after they graduate or get into competitive polo outside of their university club. B-Flight is a graduation from C-Flight for players who are ready to step up one level but not quite ready for 0-3 or 3-6 [goal]. We consistently see players who started in C-Flight moving up each year, with some eventually playing the highest levels and increasing their handicap as they advance.”

What would you say to a new player or young athlete considering joining TAL for the first time next year?
“Texas Arena League combines fun, camaraderie and good competition. The league is a short and affordable commitment to be part of a winter season of polo. We have players that come from other parts of the country, not just Texas. They all comment on how much fun it is and that playing in the league upped their game.”

What are your goals or priorities for the 2026 season of the Texas Arena League? Are there any planned changes in format, venues or partnerships?
“The changes happen with demand. We started the Armadillo Division at Legends Polo Club [Kaufman, Texas] because we had so many teams wanting to compete in the 0- to 3-goal level and not enough room in the Classic Division. This year, we expanded Armadillo [Division] to a second location Brookshire Polo Club [Brookshire, Texas] and a higher level of play (8- to 12-goal) because players were asking for some higher-level polo in a simple format. We have been looking at additional arenas to host the Texas Arena League that are multi-disciplinary, like Dripping Springs Ranch Park and San Antonio Rose Palace.

We have an amazing group of partners and sponsors who have supported Texas Arena League for years - Nutrena Feed, Galvin Agency, Patton Legacy Sports, PTF, Cavalor, Casablanca to name a few; we are always looking to add more partners who want to be exposed to this league and this growing group of participants. Texas Arena League is one of the biggest polo events in the United States by number of players, second only to the nationwide Interscholastic/Intercollegiate program.”

How important has the support from the Polo Training Foundation been in TAL’s mission, and how do you see that partnership evolving?
“Both Polo Training Foundation and Texas Arena League have missions to grow the sport of polo. The collaboration with PTF has allowed Texas Arena League to put a spotlight on these up-and-coming players. PTF also sponsored the Most Improved Award at the end of the league for multiple divisions. This award received the most applause from the winners in the award presentation. It is an honor to be chosen for this award. The connection with PTF runs deep in Texas, too. Brushy Creek was a PTF-run facility that hosted Interscholastic/Intercollegiate polo for years and summer polo camps. Fall Fandango is a PTF-supported event that has been played in Texas since 2008. Many of the players in the Texas Arena League experienced Brushy Creek or participated in Fall Fandango.”

You have been immersed in polo your entire life, from coaching juniors to managing national programs. What keeps you passionate about arena polo specifically?
“It's funny, everyone thinks that I have been an arena polo player my whole life, but I didn't get into arena polo until 2007 and I started in polo when disco was cool! For me, as a coach, instructor and promoter of polo, arena polo is the easiest venue to work in. It is less intimidating to new players and they are more involved in the game from the beginning. For spectators, you are close to the action and can hear the players and feel the horse's movements. On 10 acres, the players and spectators can get lost. Arena polo is more affordable to both clubs and players, so it is more accessible and sustainable.

It is easier to find a small piece of land near a significant population and put an arena and stables than to find 10 flat acres and need more land for stables or have players keep horses off the property. Look at OC Polo Club [Silverado, California] and California Polo Club [Los Angeles, California]—they are doing amazing things with arena polo in a very small footprint—five acres or less and with less cost of maintenance. Texas Arena League is going into locations in cities that are not polo clubs and bringing polo to new locations, new fans and getting people interested in taking lessons. Arena polo is the future and where the growth is.”

What is your dream for the future of arena polo in the U.S.?
“The USPA Arena Committee just went through a strategic review and a restructuring. I am so excited to work with this very dedicated new group: Jenny Schwartz (Player Development), Karl Hilberg (Tournaments and Leagues), Megan West-Koll (Club Development and Sustainability), Callan Harrison (Marketing and Promotion) and Jose Velez (Strategic Implementation and Data Analysis). Each of them will head their subcommittees and act on the initiatives and strategies from the strategic planning.

I think the future will be amazing; this restructuring is looking at arena polo in a very strategic way to optimize funds and efforts. We found that over 60% of current members in USPA started in the arena. We want to enhance this growth avenue and expand. Arena polo can also become very high-profile with spectators, sponsors and media. Gladiator drew 20,000 spectators in Tryon, North Carolina, and the LA Equidome regularly sold out for its arena polo competitions back when Tom Goodspeed was running that event. We see arena leagues growing and becoming more established. PCAL [Pacific Coast Arena League] and Texas Arena League are the established leagues. In 2026, two new arena leagues started up: Fresh Coast Arena League with events in Michigan, Chicago [Illinois] and St. Louis [Missouri], and Central Coast Arena League in San Luis Obispo/Los Osos [California] and Santa Barbara [California]. More locations are interested in getting an arena league started up.

In the future, we envision a Battle of the Arena Leagues or Arena League Championship with each league sending a team to a national tournament. I'm also very excited about international arena polo and the FIP Arena World Polo Championship. India has an amazing arena in Hyderabad- France and England have very developed arena seasons and nice venues. I just saw the social media focusing on the arena in Saudi Arabia. It looked very nice and polo arenas are popping up in Mexico and other countries, too.”

If you could send a message to every polo club in the country about the value of leagues like TAL, what would it be?
“Arena leagues have value in both club development and player development. Depending on your demographic, there are so many different ways to run them and there is support from USPA for arena leagues. Allowing new players and polo students to play competitively at an appropriate level with a road map to step up is a huge benefit to all clubs. Having higher levels gives more experienced players a way to improve and advance their polo. Bringing together players from all over the area in league competition creates a fun, social atmosphere and camaraderie that grows clubs and future tournaments. Leagues also offer a pathway for college polo players to continue in the sport after graduation, keeping them in the polo ecosystem on a budget. Properly promoted leagues also offer opportunities for clubs to expose themselves to spectators who can turn into new polo students.”