NATIONAL ARENA AMATEUR CUP
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The National Arena Amateur Cup (NAAC) was established in 1987. However, in 2019, the USPA Tournament and Arena committees launched a new NAAC format. The innovative new format created an opportunity to showcase the accessibility of amateur polo and to motivate amateur players to participate longer and more frequently in USPA tournaments, at their home clubs, home circuits and nationally.
All amateur players rated -1 through 3 goals are eligible. In accordance with NAAC rules, no player may have a handicap higher than the upper limit of the event. Eligibility to play in the NAAC is based on a point system. Points are given to individuals playing in all USPA arena events (circuit, sanctioned and national) and based on the number of teams and team standing in each tournament. Points are awarded to each team member, not the team as a whole. Any qualifying tournaments occurring after September 29, 2024, will go towards earned points for 2025. The more USPA arena tournaments a player competes in, the more points they will accrue. Once players commit to participate, the National Host Tournament Committee forms teams to compete at the 0- to 3-goal level.
Since 2019, the NAAC has been proudly hosted by Legends Polo Club in Kaufman, Texas. Recent champions include Polo InterActive (2020), JD Boss Polo (2021), Blazing Saddles (2022) and Patton Polo (2023).
In 2023, Patton Polo (Lance Stefanakis, John Womble, Tammy Havener) faced-off against Cereal Asesinos (Jose Velez, Leslie Brooks, David Brooks). Mounting a second half-comeback, the team in red exploded for a six-goal fourth chukker to deliver an 18-14 victory and the coveted NAAC title.
Featuring a mix of veterans and newcomers nearing the top of the season-long NAAC standings, this year’s edition of the NAAC will field eight talented teams with players participating from clubs nationwide.
Legends Polo Club will be taking advantage of the USPA's Tournament Support Program (TSP) for the National Arena Amateur Cup, which provides eligible USPA Member Clubs with waived tournament fees, trophies or trophy reimbursements up to $1,200, one professional umpire and $2,500 in prize money at no extra cost.
The USPA originally created the Tournament Stimulus Package (TSP) to help member clubs host USPA events when the United States was emerging from the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis. The USPA wanted to continue to support member clubs with TSP benefits in 2022. Therefore, it extended and expanded TSP under a new name - the Tournament Support Program. Each USPA Member Club can obtain TSP benefits for two USPA events, with the option of a third under specific circumstances.
Photo: 2023 National Arena Amateur Cup Champions: Patton Polo - Lance Stefanakis, John Womble, Tammy Havener. ©David Murrell
