Course
Right of Way


 Why is Right of Way a Rule

Right of way is the central tenant around which the rules of polo are written and around which the game is played. Priority is given to players based on the line of the ball and this priority is called the right of way. 

If a player is travelling in the direction of the ball with the ball on their right side, they have right of way over all other players. If a player is meeting under the same circumstances, with the ball on their right side but in the opposite direction, then they are given second priority on the right of way.    


How is the Rule of Right of Way Applied

The right of way rule does not distinguish between offensive and defensive players. It is simply a matter of a player who is travelling in the direction of the ball with the ball on their right side, having priority over all others. 

The right of way rule then establishes an order of priority, were a player meeting the first player but in the opposite direction with the ball on their right, has second priority and a player travelling in the same direction as the ball but with the ball on their left (nearside), having less priority than the first two players.  

Procedure of the Right of Way Rule

The penalty for breaking the right of way rule varies from a spot hit, where the player fouled was their defensive third or without an attacking opportunity. All the way up to a penalty 1, if a player violates the right of way rule in the vicinity of the goal to prevent a scoring chance. The game will always be restarted with a penalty hit to the fouled team. 


Right of Way at Different Levels of Polo

The right of way rule is interpreted differently at high and low-goal levels. The main difference is that at high-goal levels, a player is afforded less space to enter the right of way safely, whereas at low-goal levels, umpires generally like to see much more room afforded and much less angle when entering the right of way, for it to be deemed safe. 

The most common error that Fergus noted for a right of way violation being called, is players not understanding exactly how wide the right of way is. The right of way, by definition, extends from the ball to the player's left stirrup (the player with priority on the right of way). The other common error that Fergus sees is players not understanding where the line of the ball is and how the right of way relates to the line of the ball. The right of way isn’t necessarily always on the exact line of the ball, it may be a player who has the least angle to the line that is given priority.  


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