Halfway between hockey and polo: Bike polo is the latest niche sport in London

When the ice in the hockey rink behind London's King's University College has melted for the summertime, a new sport moves into the arena.

Instead of donning ice skates and hockey sticks, athletes ride into the rink on bicycles holding custom-made mallets in one hand, ready to play the growing sport of bike polo.

"You'll notice there's no horses," said Jordan Bowden of Forest City Bike Polo. "It's kind of like hockey, but on a bicycle. It's got more in common with hockey than it does with polo."

The game is typically played three on three by athletes on speed bikes, Bowden said, with the goal of using mallets to hit a ball in the opposing team's net.

There are no fixed positions, so players can take turns acting as a goalie, offensive player and defensive player.

"There's always this dichotomy of if it's a sport or if it's a game," Bowden said. "It's not as serious as other sports out there, there's no money in it [and] there's no professional bike polo, but it's something that we all really love."

Close to fifteen people are regular players with Forest City Bike Polo, a group that meets every Wednesday evening for pickup games.

"Growing up riding mountain bikes and still cycling to this day at my age, it's fun to play bike polo three [versus] three on the court," player Mitch Hipwell said, adding that he enjoys the sport's fast pace.

"It took me a bit to get comfortable riding one-handed because you have a mallet in your dominant arm," he said. "You've got to get comfortable on the bike."

The sport has a do-it-yourself mentality when it comes to the equipment, according to Bowden, who has been playing the game for about four years.

People can customize their bikes and mallets, modifying them in a way that allows them to move and score as efficiently as possible.

"You could play bike polo on really any bike," Bowden said. "There's people who play on mountain bikes. There are specific bike polo bikes that have a shorter wheel base … but almost all of us play on a single speed bike, so there's no gear changing and you're typically on a low gear ratio that allows you to accelerate quickly and do cool moves on your bike like wheelies."

Forest City Bike Polo has started hosting "newbie nights" to encourage curious Londoners to check out the sport. The club will provide bikes and mallets, with the goal of bringing more people out to play in the city, Bowden said.