AlUla strides forward as the premier destination for desert polo

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has signed a new strategic partnership with leading Argentine polo team, La Dolfina, that will greatly empower and expand AlUla’s developing status as the number one destination for desert polo among other heritage and equestrian sports.  

Signed during the Richard Mille Desert Polo tournament, which returned to AlUla for its third edition from 17-20 January, the agreement lays the technical foundations for the success of the prestigious annual horseback competition as well as the introduction of new events in the future.

La Dolfina will assist RCU in the creation of a new Polo Academy in AlUla, as well as planning and executing training programmes for the community, visitors, and Saudis eager to learn the sport under the watchful eye of some of the best coaches and players in the world. La Dolfina will also provide horses to take part in polo tournaments in AlUla.

Among the sport’s most successful teams, La Dolfina counts Adolfo Cambiaso among its star-studded line up of players. As one of the greatest polo players of all time, Cambiaso and his La Dolfina teammates along with technical staff will lend their extensive knowledge and experience to the expansion of polo in AlUla.

Sure to grab the attention of the global polo and sporting community, as well as KSA-based players and local equestrian fans, the new partnership marks the transformative and ambitious next stage in the growth of the sport, and desert polo in particular.

As AlUla solidifies its role as the leading winter destination for equestrian tournaments, the new strategic collaboration with La Dolfina will super-charge the introduction of robust technical developments, attracting players, teams, enthusiasts, and more to AlUla and its rapidly evolving landscape of facilities and purpose-built infrastructure such as the Al Fursan Village.

Members of the La Dolfina team, which hails from the city of Canuelas in Buenos Aires province, will provide high-level advisory, technical and professional assistance to AlUla’s polo community while also encouraging participation in the sport, raising capabilities, as well as helping to establish new economic opportunities.

The new agreement comes with numerous benefits for equestrian and heritage sports in AlUla; supporting the promotion of deep-rooted cultural traditions around horses in KSA; expanding tourism into new markets with a sophisticated and dedicated audience of global fans; generating new avenues of economic development for the community; and engaging local people to foster a sense of pride and positive participation in AlUla’s regeneration.

Ziad Alsuhaibani, Chief Sports Officer at the Royal Commission for AlUla, said: “We are delighted to announce the signing of a new strategic partnership with the La Dolfina polo team that will greatly support the growth and development of desert polo in AlUla and establish northwest Arabia as the number one winter destination for equestrian sports.

“Having La Dolfina join our network of international partners, who will share their years of knowledge, sporting achievement, and experience of winning major international tournaments, will help to elevate equestrian sports in AlUla to a greater level of sophistication, participation, and excitement. The new agreement, and the upcoming Richard Mille Desert Polo tournament, shows that AlUla truly is the home of equestrian sports and can attract a global audience of enthusiasts along with the best players.”