Indoor Polo : Los Angeles’ Pro Team, the Colts, Manages to Attract Crowds of 3,000 to Equestrian Center in Burbank

The Los Angeles Colts of the American Polo League closed out the 1985 spring season Saturday night with a 12-10 victory over the Hawaii Islanders before 3,257 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

Two goals by Tom Goodspeed and another by Dan Healy in the final five-minute chukker gave the Colts the win and a 7-1 record overall. Since each of the other eight teams in the league plays the Colts once and no one else, the Islanders, led by Ronnie Tongg, finished 0-1.

Did you know that already?

Did you care?

The people who run the Colts, having made their mark with the celebs (Stephanie Powers and William Devane each own box seats), are now wondering just that. They know that polo is great as a players’ sport and entertaining as a social sport, but can it be a spectator sport?

Despite claiming in press releases that indoor polo is “the most exciting spectator sport of the century,� they know the attraction to the pizza-and-beer crowd just isn’t there yet. Pay $7.50 to $20 for a ticket to watch six players on horseback swing at a softball-size, air-filled plastic ball?

Professional indoor polo, know it or not, has been a success as far as the people at the L.A. Equestrian Center in Burbank are concerned. Attendance in the Colts’ first season (the now-defunct L.A. Lancers spent two there) has been around 3,000 each week, so maybe J. Albert Garcia, the team’s president, wasn’t just sounding like another press release when he said earlier this week that “the people don’t want the series to end.�

With that in mind, the LAEC people recently announced a six-game summer schedule, but have promised more than just six games.

They’re also offering pre-game concerts by known artists. It is, by name, Polo Summer Fest ’85.

“We felt that this would be a good time to experiment, to broaden our horizons to the perspective of some new fans so they will come to the games,� Garcia said. “We’ve found that 30% of the people who have seen it, come back or get someone else out by word of mouth.�

And the Colts have no concern about losing customers who come only to be with the chic--how many sporting events have $5 valet parking?--and elite.

As Goodspeed, the team captain and LAEC general manager, said: “Those people we have no interest in polo anyway. If we can’t get them in with polo, forget ‘em. Let them wander around Rodeo Drive.�

So, for fans of polo or pop, horses or harmony, the summer session will start June 29 as “Polo Goes Gold,� with Wolfman Jack, the Platters, the Diamonds and Little Anthony. A couple weeks later, “Polo Goes Rock� with Three Dog Night.

“Polo Goes Country� in two of the last three matches, which seems to be a better union than July 27, which is when “Polo Goes Soul.� James Brown will be in concert before the Colts get down in the game.

The LAEC has also been negotiating with the Beach Boys and the Los Angeles Pops orchestra to fill an open night, which obviously widens the areas of interest in music. But reaching audiences far and wide is just what the Colts are trying to do.

The summer schedule concludes the first week of August, and a month later the fall season picks up.

Or did you know that already?