High Performance Preparation

Programme for POLO (HP4) at

29th SEA Games in August 2017

Contents:

1. Brief overview of coaching & team management structure

2. Funding
3. Athlete selection criteria for the Singapore Polo Team and
selection process
4. Sports SG spex carded polo players in training squad
5. Detailed training and competition programme from February
through September 2017
6. Team & support personnel required for SEA Games
7. Analysis of Singapore Polo Teams competition at the Games
8. Scores of all matches played at the 2007 Bangkok SEA Games
9. Medal targets

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1. Brief overview of coaching & team management structure

Polo at the 29th SEA Games in Malaysia will take place between the 19th and 31st August 2017 at the
Putrajaya Equestrian Park. The national Singapore Polo Team that will represent the Republic of
Singapore in polo at these games has to be between 5 and 8 goals and be mounted on its own polo ponies
(around 28 in number).

The SPC has identified and engaged a suitable Chief Polo Coach for the Singapore team in the person of
Hector Julio (Juni) Crotto from Argentina. He will be based in Singapore between May and August 2017
continuously to coach and oversee the preparation of the short listed players. During this period, he will
working intensively (see the tentative programme below) with the training squad of players who have
been short listed or spex carded by Sports-SG, and subsequently with those among them who get
selected to be part of the Singapore Polo Team. Juni Crottos highest polo handicap has been 9 goals and
he has played in several countries including the USA, UK, France, Ireland, Germany, Australia, South
Africa, Brasil, Chile, Per, Brunei and Malaysia, winning over 100 tournaments in the course of his playing
career. He has coached teams that have played in the Argentine Open as well as high goal in the UK. Juni
Crotto has therefore extensive experience of both playing as well as managing competitive polo at a high
goal level.

The scope of the Chief Polo Coach will be as follows:

a) during May - work with spex carded players & by June select a final list of 7 players to make
up the Singapore Polo Team which is to represent Singapore at the SEA games
b) between June and first half of August; coach and train intensively the 7 players comprising
the Singapore Polo Team
c) select polo ponies to make a pool of around 28 horses & oversee closely their preparation in
order that the horses are in peak condition for August
d) in second half of August; accompany the Singapore Polo Team and its polo ponies to Malaysia
for the SEA Games and to oversee all aspects of the teams performance during the games
e) to do some playing/umpiring as determined by the Polo Captain; he will also be available to
assist members in their game with advice and some instruction (but not, in general, to give
regular polo or stick & ball lessons to members).

Additionally, the Club will appoint an Assistant Coach with special responsibility for the preparation of
polo ponies selected for the SEA Games and in particular managing, between February and August, the
Clubs horses which have been purchased and/or specifically earmarked for the SEA Games. The Assistant
Coach cum Horse Manager will work directly under Juni Crotto.

Overall, Singapores 2017 SEA Games effort is to be spearheaded by an executive committee comprising
Rickard Hogberg, Ali Namazie and Wee Tiong Han, and it will be co-ordinated and managed by a Team
Manager, the SPC Polo Captain. The designated captain of the Singapore Polo Team will be Satinder
Garcha.

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2. Funding
It is projected that a total of about $350,000-400,000 will be necessary to fund Singapores 2017 SEA
games effort for polo. A rough breakdown includes (but is not necessarily limited to) the following
expenses:

Chief Coach
Assistant Coach cum Horse Manager
Training & Practice Matches for team
Tack & other equipment
Horse transport expenses
Quarantine/isolation expenses
Stabling & feed at Games venue
Veterinary support
Athletes & support team travel & related expenses

SEA Games Projected Budget

Of the estimated $350-400,000 required to fund this effort, the SPCs 2016/17 Committee has approved
that that Club will provide up to $100,000 in support of the SEA Games effort.

The Club will sponsor the two highest handicapped players in the team. A further $100,000 will have to
come from the non-sponsored players who make the final cut to the Singapore Polo Team of five (plus
two reserves). This means that each such player (or his parents) has to be prepared to incur an estimated
$20,000 as a member of the Singapore Polo Team which represents Singapore at the Malaysia SEA Games
in August 2017. Note that the figure of $20k is, at best, a minimum estimate. Based on our experience at
the Bangkok 2007 Games, Sports-SG will pay for accommodation in Malaysia as well as local or other
travel expenses for the athletes, but NOT in general for all horse related costs (although we shall seek
some grants from them for this). In addition, costs will be incurred by the Club for the Singapore Polo
Team players by way of training and practice match expenses between May and August 2017. Each of the
non-sponsored players who make it to the Singapore Polo Team will be required to put down a deposit of
$10,000 by early June 2017 against such expenses and which will be held by the Club against various
disbursements.

It is hoped that another $100-150,000 can be raised through sponsorship from sponsors with a local
footprint and who would be willing to adopt the Singapore Polo Team between May and August 2017 ie
the period leading up to games during which time the team will be playing a sequence of three practice
tournaments at SPC. Whether such sponsorship can include the SEA Games itself will depend on the
regulations governing sponsorship as specified by Sports-SG.

The Club shall also apply for grants from Sports-SG / SNOC to assist with horse transportation and related
expenses.

3. Athlete selection criteria for the Singapore Polo Team and selection process

i) Must be a Singapore citizen for at least one year prior to December 2017.

ii ) Must have an SPC recognised polo handicap of at least 0 goals or higher as of 1st June 2017.

iii) As a rule, candidates should not be more than 50 years old in 2017.

iv) The rules and regulations governing polo at the 2017 SEA Games will be set by the FIP (International Federation of
Polo). Presently, competing teams will be allowed to bring their own polo ponies from their home countries. Each
short listed player who hopes to be selected for a place on the Singapore Polo Team must undertake in wrting
that he has a minimum of four (named) polo ponies available for his own use during the months leading up to
and including the Games (ie May to August 2017 inclusive). These polo ponies must either be the players own
ponies (including ponies belonging to their parents or spouse) OR ponies that have been specifically loaned to them
for the SEA Games. The suitability or otherwise of these ponies will be decided by the SEA Games Executive
Committee and by the teams Chief Polo Coach at their sole discretion.

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While each potential member of the Singapore Polo Team must, as stated above, undertake to have at least four polo
ponies of adequate standard for his own use, between May and August) some players may choose to bring in additional
polo ponies (over and above the quota available to them under the current Bye-laws) to supplement their present
string at the Club. The Club will allow this between now and the SEA Games and is prepared to assist by providing
stabling for such additional polo ponies at the Mount Pleasant stables at a specially subsidized SEA Games livery rate of
$1,000 per month.

v) Candidates may be required to undergo a preliminary physical exam in order to determine their level of fitness to
compete.

vi) Between February and May 2017, the training to be made available to the eleven spex carded athletes will
obviously incur some costs. While the Club will take care of some of these expenses, the Club reserves the right to
recover a nominal amount from each of the spex carded athletes who are in Singapore and participate in the
training programme provided.

vii) As stipulated under 2 above, each (non-sponsored) athlete selected to be a member of the Singapore Polo Team
will be required to give an undertaking that he is willing and able to contribute up to $20,000 towards expenses
incurred by the Club on the teams behalf and the player will be required to put down a deposit of $10,000 in
May/June 2017 which will be held and disbursed by the Club against such expenses as they are incurred.

viii) The eleven athletes who have been spex carded by SG Spore, will each be required to provide an undertaking to
the SPC that they agree to fully comply/abide by requirements i) to vii) above in order to be considered for
selection for a place in the Singapore Polo Team and to be provided with training leading up to the selection.
Those athletes who have provided the above undertaking will be notified that they qualify for the selection process
and will formally be inducted into the training squad. The squad may also include one to two Singaporean junior
polo players who show sufficient promise to be included for training in this round (with a view to preparing them as
national athletes for polo at subsequent SEA Games). This short listed group will be then be part of a structured,
comprehensive training programme (see below) commencing in February 2017 and the candidates will be expected
to demonstrate the necessary level of commitment and devote the required amount time to training and
competition polo (as determined by the Chief Polo Coach) failing which they risk being dropped from the short list.

ix) By May/June 2017, the squad will be reduced to a maximum of seven players who shall constitute the Singapore
Polo Team, comprising four players plus three reserves.

4. SG Spore spex carded polo players in training squad

1. Sattar Khan (+4) 6. Gerry Gan (0)

2. Waqas Khan (+4) 7. Imran Jumabhoy (0)
3. Satinder Garcha (+3) 8. Vinod Kumar (0)
4. Ang Roon Kai (+1) 9. Ronnie Lim (0)
5. Ameer Jumabhoy (+1) 10. Keith Yeo
11. Ali Jumabhoy (-1)

5. Training & competition programme from February through September 2017

February 2017
Short-listed or spex carded players who are in Singapore will be expected to do gym
training and start working their horses including stick & ball when during the field
opens on 15th February; they will also attend a set of preliminary polo clinics.

March 2017
Commencement of structured training programme involving fitness training, theory
clinics on tactics etc; practical polo clinics and practice competitive chukkas
Club Tournament

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April 2017
Continuation of structured training programme involving fitness training, theory clinics
on tactics etc, practical polo clinics and practice chukkas
Bronze League

May 2017
Continuation of structured fitness training programme
Commencement of polo programme run by Chief Polo Coach, Juni Crotto involving
intensive polo training and specialist clinics and competitive practice chukkas
SEA Games Exhibition I - 6 goal

June 2017
Selection of 7 players to form the final Singapore Polo Team
Continuation of structured fitness training programme
Continuation of programme run by Chief Polo Coach, Juni Crotto involving intensive
polo training and specialist clinics and competitive practice chukkas
SEA Games Exhibition II - 8 goal

July 2017

Continuation of structured fitness training programme

Continuation of programme run by Chief Polo Coach, Juni Crotto involving intensive
polo training and specialist clinics and competitive practice chukkas
Singapore Open 10 goal

August 2017
Continuation of structured fitness training programme
Continuation of programme run by Chief Polo Coach, Juni Crotto involving intensive
polo training and specialist clinics and competitive practice chukkas in early part of
August
Polo ponies move to Malaysia during second week of August
19th to 31st August 29th SEA Games at Putrajaya Equestrian Park, Malaysia

September 2017
Players return to Singapore
Polo ponies wind down; some will remain in Malaysia and the rest return to Singapore
after two weeks quarantine/isolation.

6. Team & support personnel required for SEA Games

If Singapore is able to send up its own ponies, the team will require in total some 20 -24 horses. As of this
year, some SPC members have begun to keep some of their polo ponies in Pattaya already and hence we
may not need to send up the full complement from Singapore (which will be a great advantage in terms of
horse performance as it is a difficult 3 day, 2 night journey from Singapore to Pattaya by land horse
transport and the condition of horses will undoubtedly be affected unless they are sent at least 2-3 weeks
in advance of the competition). There are also at present quarantine issues which have yet to be resolved
with the AVA. Air transport of the horses to Thailand may be an option but a very expensive one.

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In terms of personnel, 20 horse would require at least four grooms to care for them, in addition SPC will
send their farrier and their own veterinary personnel to manage the welfare and fitness of our polo ponies
while there.

Total Numbers:
5 man team squad plus 2 reserves 7
Chief Coach & Assistant Coach 2
Team Manager 1
Vet (to be shared with equestrian team) (1)
Farrier (to be shared with equestrian team) (1)
Chef de Equip/Supervisor polo ponies 1
Grooms 5
Total number of personnel 16+(2)

7. Analysis of Singapore Polo Teams competition at the Games

The regional countries set to enter polo teams for the 2017 SEA Games are:

1. Malaysia with around 8 or more active polo clubs in Malaysia including a substantial amount of
home grown younger talent to choose from, on paper Malaysia must rank as the team with the strongest
chances to win gold. A big advantage for them is their large stock of top rated polo ponies and obviously
they will have home ground advantage. They have been preparing for these SEA Games for the longest
time; they have probably lowered their player handicaps two years ago (as required by FIP rules) so the
team will almost definitely be under handicapped. In 2016, the Malaysians have already been investing
heavily in horse power and they have appointed a coach some months ago and who has already been
talent spotting during the last season there. The Malaysians have substantial competitive polo experience
locally, regionally and some if their players have been training in Argentina; moreover they play together
all the time. Possibly the only weakness is having to draw their SEA Games from several different clubs
which may have its own set of problems.

2. Thailand fairly small pool of local Thai players, so putting together a 5-8 goal team will not be
as easy as for Malaysia. However they have some solid players who at 1-2 goals are probably somewhat
under-handicapped. Their key players have substantial high goal competitive experience, but usually
backed up by pros. They will presumably bring their own polo ponies to Malaysia. We beat them at
Bangkok, but it was not that easy.

3. Philippines fairly experienced players like Antonio Veloso, Mikee Romero and the Garcias to
build a solid team with, some of whom play professionally in the US and Australia. Will be disadvantaged
because they will have to rely on polo ponies from the host country.

4. Indonesia they are reputed to have put in a good deal of effort during the past decade since
the Bangkok games. They have also invested during 2016 in polo ponies. Their players may lack finesse
but play very physically hard and rough. They should not be underestimated this time round and
evidently they are aiming for a gold medal this time; see http://bola.liputan6.com/read/2422198/polo-
berkudaindonesia-targetkan-emas-sea-games-dan-asian-games

5. Brunei some of their younger royalty now playing polo and they also have some more
experienced players. Polo has been quiet there for several years but now appears to be more active.
Brunei may or may not send a team at this point. Their players however play well together, but to some
extent will be disadvantaged if their polo ponies are provided by Malaysia.

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8. Scores of all matches played at the 2007 Bangkok SEA Games

Match Date Results

Preliminary-
Thailand vs. Philippines Thursday, 6 Dec Thailand beat Philippines
Score: 7 - 2
Preliminary-
Malaysia vs. Indonesia Thursday, 6 Dec Malaysia beat Indonesia
Score: 11 - 3
Preliminary-
Singapore vs. Thailand Saturday, 8 Dec Singapore beat Thailand
Score: 7 5
Preliminary-
Malaysia vs. Philippines Saturday, 8 Dec Malaysia beat Philippines
Score: 11 - 1
Preliminary-
Singapore vs. Indonesia Sunday, 9 Dec Singapore beat Indonesia
Score: 8 - 3
Preliminary-
Malaysia vs. Thailand Sunday, 9 Dec Malaysia beat Thailand
Score: 14 - 3
Preliminary-
Malaysia vs. Singapore Tuesday, 11 Dec Malaysia beat Singapore
Score: 8 - 2
Preliminary-
Philippines vs. Indonesia Tuesday, 11 Dec Philippines beat Indonesia
Score: 5 - 3
Preliminary-
Thailand vs. Indonesia Thursday, 13 Dec Thailand beat Indonesia
Score: 6 - 3

Preliminary- Singapore beat Philippines

Singapore vs. Philippines Thursday, 13 Dec Score: 10 - 1

Bronze Medal Playoff-

Thailand vs. Philippines Saturday, 15 Dec Thailand beat Philippines
Score:8 - 3
Final-
Malaysia vs. Singapore Saturday, 15 Dec Malaysia beat Singapore
Score: 9 3

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9. Medal targets

This time we are GOING for GOLD.

If we are serious about this, put in the necessary training and effort, if everyone pulls their own weight,
and with some luck, we might just pull this off!

More conservatively, at the very least, we MUST get a silver medal again for the effort and expense in
2017 to be justified.