Polo & More, Singapore 2017 Polo & More, Singapore 2017 | Page 30

Seven minutes with…
The Hong Kong Polo Team Captain Patrick Furlong
Patrick Furlong doing it his way
What do you love most about Polo?
That it’s a very competitive sport combining skills in horse riding, stamina of the players and horses. I
love horses and working with horses, together, for a purpose (playing and winning a game) is one of the most
rewarding experiences one can have.
As a seasoned three goal player regularly competing across South East Asia, what are your personal
polo ambitions for 2017?
My ambitions for this year are to at least match our last season’s successes. It is getting more and more
difficult for HKPT as the teams and clubs we play against are ever more weary of us visiting (in a good way!).
Every team we play against will be dead set to win on their home turf!
As Captain of the First Ever Hong Kong Polo Team (HKPT), since its inception in 2014, what have
been your teams most outstanding achievements?
Winning the Singapore Open in 2016 was the best achievement so far. A thrilling tournament overall
where we did not lose a game and we won it in the last seconds, a truly nail biting finale! Overall our track
record of winning more than 50% of tournaments we have played so far is a phenomenal achievement. Not
many teams can claim that!
What are the challenges for the HKPT Season of 2017 and what’s your game plan to best tackle them?
We always play with odds against us. We don’t have a field, or our own horses. What we can work on
is taking every opportunity that we have to play together to really focus on our game. Work on set pieces
everyone can remember and practice individually wherever each player can get in some practice. I strongly
encourage everyone in the team to get regular riding and stick and ball practice as often as they can.
How do you as a Team Captain inspire, attract and recruit new generations of players in Hong
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Kong? Especially in a region where Polo is not
such an accessible sport?
Word of mouth. Getting our players to do the
“recruiting” and maximize the PR as effectively as we
can. We have broadly shared our story of our mission
of #bringingbackpolotohongkong in many titles across
Asia and Globally. Our new players are also spreading
the word like Justin Lau and Andy Leung, they are
crucial to get the broader HK audience and riders to
polo.
Out on the field what was your favourite moment
of last Season?
There are many great moments on the field, but
the most rewarding is actually the camaraderie among
the players. The sense of purpose that we all have. How
hard everyone works for the team to make a difference
for Hong Kong and great experiences with all the
players.
What is your goal (mission) in representing and
leading the first ever Polo Team for Hong Kong?
Bringing back polo for good! That is our
main goal. ■