We are delighted to welcome Henry Browne to the HPA as our Interim Director of Sport. Henry brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role and is bursting with enthusiasm and ideas for the future of polo. Some of his existing commitments mean he is not currently able to join us in a full-time role, and will only infrequently be able to be in the office, and it is for these reasons that we have jointly agreed on an interim approach, with current plans being that he will start immediately and work with us until the end of April. This is so that both the HPA and Henry can determine whether this can become, or be part of, a more permanent solution that will be beneficial for everyone. Henry will take over the role from Josh Tuthill from 1 December 2023.
Henry will be a familiar face for many, having got his start in polo aged 11, playing Jorrocks through the Pony Club on “unruly hunting ponies who wouldn’t go near the ball”. There was a short hiatus in his teenage years before he made a welcome return to the sport while studying Business and Public Relations at Leeds Metropolitan University. On leaving university Henry worked in the commercial arm of Wetherbys for four years, providing the link between the UK’s racecourses and Wetherbys’ commercial activities.
With his handicap rising yearly and the number of ponies increasing, he quickly reached 2 goals and was asked to play for some local patrons, before officially making the switch and playing polo professionally until the age of 32. Henry spent time in Argentina with clients and players, building his string and making plenty of local contacts. In between he also qualified as an HPA Coach and was the Manager of Rutland Polo Club, spending three years there focused on diversifying the club to suit the needs of the current and future clientele, while updating the membership offering, and managing the finances, teams, and tournaments.
When he stopped playing professionally, Henry turned to umpiring as a natural next step, and he has been part of the HPA Pro Umpires team for the past three seasons, umpiring up to 12 goal level. He has umpired most of the northern 4 goal VL series, and has umpired in Germany up to 12 goal level. He says, “the image of the sport is so important. Umpires control the play and this in turn presents the sport to the public. I am passionate about quality umpiring, welfare, and continued training.”
He’s looking forward to “getting his teeth into the role” and ensuring there is continuity for the HPA team and the polo community. He’s full of ideas for grassroots polo and is especially keen to foster closer links between the main polo hubs and the smaller clubs, as he believes this is integral to bringing the polo world together. He’s also excited to be involved in the new Performance Pathway, as he recognises the need to bring the gap between young players reaching 1 goal and developing into future professional players.
Henry describes himself as someone who is passionate about welfare and simply “loves horses, especially polo ponies as I appreciate how amazing they are.” His enthusiasm for polo and horses shines through. “Polo stays with you,” he says, when asked about what the sport means to him. We couldn’t agree more, and look forward to welcoming him to the HPA team.
