NPC 16-GOAL CHAMPIONSHIP
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The NPC 16-Goal Championship (formerly the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super Series Championship) developed from an innovative effort spearheaded by the USPA Tournament Committee to draw more teams and participation into medium-goal competition. In a true testament of collaboration, participants are able to experience 16-goal competition at multiple clubs in qualifying events, while also vying for the opportunity to compete for the championship at the National Polo Center - Wellington (NPC).
Held across South Florida, four prestigious national tournaments served as qualifiers for the NPC 16-Goal Championship including the Joe Barry Memorial hosted by Port Mayaca Polo Club in Okeechobee, Florida, alongside the Ylvisaker Cup, Iglehart Cup and Outback Cup, led by Patagones Polo Club in Wellington, Florida and a series of private fields falling under the Wellington Polo Tour (WPT) umbrella.
In accordance with the NPC 16-Goal Championship Tournament Conditions, each team participating in a qualifying event earns points towards eligibility for the Championship. Teams that win a qualifier are awarded 25 points, second place teams in a qualifier receive 5 points and a team that comes in third or fourth place receive 1 point.
In 2024, the final showdown featured a match-up between Ylvisaker Cup champions Clearwater (Joaquin “Pelo” Vilgre La Madrid, Raul “Gringo” Colombres, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Camp Campbell) and Joe Barry Memorial victors Forbes Plunkett (Brandon Plunkett, Nicolas “Nico” Escobar, Felipe “Pipe” Vercellino, Lucas Escobar). Equal in field goals, Clearwater capitalized from the penalty line in the first half accumulating a four-goal lead. In the second half, the tide turned in favor of Forbes Plunkett, with Vercellino sinking five goals from the penalty line to edge past the competition 13-12. Read article here.
Following three months of fierce competition, Bientina, Kaia, Palm Beach Equine and Zapican BMW have each secured a spot in the NPC-16 Goal Championship and will battle to determine who takes home the prestigious title in the final on NPC's Field 2. Representing Team USPA is alumnus Felipe Viana (Zapican BMW).
To reinforce the idea that all participation is encouraged, players were able to compete in as many events as they would like on either the same team or on different teams, however, qualifying teams must maintain at least two of their original members in order to play in the championship. In this vein, Iglehart Cup winners (Copperline Farm) Lucas Criado Jr. and Felipe "Pipe" Vercellino have elected to compete for Kaia.
2024 NPC 16-Goal Championship Winners: Forbes Plunkett - Lucas Escobar, Felipe "Pipe" Vercellino, Brandon Plunkett, Nicolas "Nico" Escobar. ©David Lominska
