NEWS

The Women of Wellington Polo Series (WOW) is set to return in 2025, bringing opportunities for female polo players at the medium-goal level. Following the success of its inaugural season, WOW will continue to offer organized tournaments at prestigious locations across South Florida, helping to connect new and seasoned players on the field.

WOW founders Maureen Brennan, Kylie Sheehan* and Haley Bryan are enthusiastic about the upcoming season. They discussed their motivations, challenges and goals, emphasizing the importance of providing a platform for new female players.

In collaboration with the Wellington Polo Tour (WPT), Port Mayaca Polo Club (Okeechobee, Florida) and the National Polo Center – Wellington (Wellington, Florida), WOW has announced a 10- to 14-goal schedule that aligns with the winter high-goal season and the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship. The series will feature two USPA Florida Circuit Women’s Challenge tournaments hosted by Flying Cow Polo Club (Wellington, Florida) and culminate with the USPA-sanctioned Tabebuia Cup, hosted by Port Mayaca Polo Club.

The founders hope that WOW will inspire greater participation in women’s polo and provide valuable playing experience. They aim to support both amateur and professional players, offering a pathway to high-goal tournaments while creating a lasting impact on the sport.

What inspired the creation of WOW and how did the idea come about?
Maureen Brennan: “Before the WOW Polo Series, an entire season of women’s USPA tournament polo did not exist. Kylie and I had been talking for a few years about starting a women’s league in Wellington, as there were so many women in the area without a place to play. We agreed the first thing to do was to include Haley Bryan because of her commitment to women’s polo in general, her deep knowledge of managing polo tournaments and her overall understanding of what it takes to create good polo. We started by naming the league, created a logo and a mission statement, decided to host 14 goal as we consider it most inclusive, and went forward from there. Women of Wellington Polo Series (WOW) was born.”

Kylie Sheehan: “I love coming to Wellington every year to be a part of the best polo in the world during the season [and] I’m lucky enough to run an excellent business here in Wellington at Flying Cow Polo Club. Still, I was running into the problem of not having enough organized women’s polo tournaments for me and my clients to play in. There are a few great women’s tournaments, but not enough to create a season of polo worth jumping into if you have not already played at the Open level. Maureen, Haley and I discussed the concept of creating a series of tournaments that would be a steppingstone to playing in the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, and that would encourage more women to commit to coming to Wellington for an entire season of women’s tournaments. That is how the WOW Series came to fruition.”

Haley Bryan: “Women’s polo is booming, and we wanted to give it a way to boom in Wellington. We also strive to bring more professionalism to women’s polo with well-organized USPA tournaments, quality sponsorship and trophies, and professional umpires.”

What challenges did you face during the inaugural season?
Kylie Sheehan: “Our two biggest hurdles going into this inaugural year were securing fields to host our games and raising enough sponsorship money to cover the costs of running a top-notch USPA tournament in Wellington. Luckily, thanks to the generosity of the community, supporters, players, local clubs, the USPA and private field owners, we were able to overcome both of these obstacles. We were lucky enough to play on some of the best fields in the world and WOW was supported by some incredible sponsors that made it possible to cover the costs to rent fields, pay for umpires, provide great prizes and more.”

What motivated you to bring back WOW in 2025?
Maureen Brennan: “Creating WOW for the long term was always our objective. We were grateful for such a successful inaugural year that teams and corporate sponsors were already asking about the 2025 season, before we even finished the 2024 season.”

Kylie Sheehan: “All the teams, fans, sponsors, clubs and field owners that participated helped make it such a success in the first year, it was a no-brainer to return for 2025. There was so much support from so many people, from all aspects of the industry—it truly was inspiring to see everyone come together to empower women in polo. I have already heard of some incredible teams being formed for the upcoming season and cannot wait to see what a fun, competitive year it will be with the support of some incredible sponsors and foundations.”

Haley Bryan: “Many of those who played in 2024 want to play again, as well as several new people who are planning to play too.”

How does the collaboration with the Wellington Polo Tour, Port Mayaca Polo Club and National Polo Center enhance the WOW series?
Maureen Brennan: “As the ‘new series in town’ we did not want to conflict with the established leagues and tournaments such as the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, the Wellington Polo Tour and the Gauntlet of Polo. Without hesitation, we opted to not play any WOW games during the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, so there would not be a conflict for players and horses. We try not to schedule any games on Wednesdays when the Grand Champions Women’s League [Wellington, Florida] plays; we chose our finals’ days as Friday, since WPT is Saturday and NPC is Sunday. WOW wants to be mindful of players' commitments to other leagues and allow players to also be able to watch some of the important tournaments in the area.”

Kylie Sheehan: “It has been amazing to be able to collaborate with some great clubs, farm owners and teams that act as host sites for games and even legs of WOW. Last year alone we collaborated with Port Mayaca, Santa Clara Polo Club [Wellington, Florida], Palm City Polo Club LLC [Boynton Beach, Florida], Pilot, Valiente, La Fe, National Polo Center, Jan Pamela, Iconica and Equuleus to name a few. Clubs supporting and complementing each other is fundamental in making any season successful for the players, horses, fields and spectators. Not only do we try to work with clubs that are helping host WOW games, but we also try to be aware of the other polo that our participants may be playing in. It’s great that WOW players can play in not only WOW, but also events like the Grand Champions Women’s League, the Sarasota Women’s Challenge [hosted by Sarasota Polo Club, Sarasota, Florida], [and] the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, Shady Lady Cup and Florida Women’s Open [hosted by Port Mayaca Polo Club]. It allows women to come to Wellington and be able to play a true season of women’s polo which is the mission of WOW.”

How does WOW aim to inspire and support young and new female players in the sport?
Maureen Brennan: “One of the primary purposes of WOW is to provide a platform for young and new female players by being in the heart of the winter polo capital and hosting the tournaments at the 14-goal level. This allows for high goalers, including 10 goalers, to be on the field with the lower-rated players, providing higher-quality games, which helps all players to improve.”

Kylie Sheehan: “When players ask me what the best way is to improve their polo, I usually say that the best way to get better is to put the white pants on and go play good polo with good horses, good teammates, good opponents, good umpires and on good fields. WOW has allowed female players a chance to do this. Seeing the improvement in so many amateur and professional players was amazing. I think it has inspired more women to put the white pants on and go challenge themselves to play the best polo they can.”

What impact do you hope WOW will have on the participation of women in high-goal tournaments?
Maureen Brennan: “A second important purpose of WOW is to cultivate amateur and professional players for the [U.S] Women’s Open. WOW can provide the experience of playing faster polo against some of the best in the world, with USPA professional umpires on good fields, which enhances the overall experience. Polo should be enjoyable, competitive and fair, and WOW Polo strives to be just that. Good experiences keep players involved; good polo inspires better polo.”

Kylie Sheehan: “Many players dream of eventually playing in the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship. However, to play at such a high level, there needs to be a channel through which these players can develop and gain experience. WOW is meant to be a great intermediary step for women to begin to move towards playing at a higher level, sustainably.”

Can you share any success stories or standout moments from the inaugural WOW season that highlights its impact on female players?
Maureen Brennan: “One team sponsor, very new to tournament polo, had not planned to stay in Wellington for the last tournament, but she had such a great experience in the first two tournaments that she made the commitment to play the last. She exclaimed after the last game of the season [that] it was the best game of her life. It was very satisfying to hear someone happy with her improvement; her experience made it great for everyone around her.”

Kylie Sheehan: “Seeing how WOW Series affected so many people in so many ways, was inspiring. More than one player said that their lives have changed thanks to WOW, which has given them something to work towards and build up to the rest of the year. It was also incredible to see the profound support and interest expressed by so many people who are involved in the industry and passionate about women’s empowerment and women’s polo. Photographers, media sources, sponsors and fans all came together in such a powerful way. We are truly thankful for every person’s enthusiasm and support in this journey.”

Haley Bryan: “Many standout moments! I especially enjoyed seeing the players who had never played an organized women’s tournament—who played on teams, improved their polo, learned a lot and can’t wait to play again! I also enjoyed watching the young professional players who helped improve their teammates, while learning and improving themselves. These are the people who are the future of women’s polo.”

What personal goals do each of you have for WOW moving forward?
Maureen Brennan: “I would like WOW to have more teams each season, more prize money for the winners and continue to attract more corporate sponsors. I would also like to move toward [awarding] Best String of the Season, Horse of the Year and Most Valuable Young Player season awards.”

Kylie Sheehan: “I look forward to seeing WOW grow and continue to inspire professional and amateur women’s players to come together, empower one another and improve the sport that we all love so much. The potential is huge, I can't wait to see our participation grow with the help of increased sponsorship. Maybe one day we will be not just the “Women of Wellington” but maybe the “Women of the World!”

Haley Bryan: “I hope to see WOW continue and grow. I also hope that the concept can be a template to inspire more women’s polo around the country.”

What legacy do you hope WOW will leave in the world of women’s polo?
Maureen Brennan: “The legacy of WOW is to be the platform where players can be discovered and move on to greater things. To be known for high quality and inclusiveness. I think a great legacy is when the players are either proud of themselves, or envious of others who have won either a tournament, Best Playing Pony or Most Valuable Player, because it is understood how special it is to achieve any of these honors in such a prestigious polo tournament series. I hope it continues to receive the amazing support it did in its first year from the players and their families, corporate sponsors, the USPA, horse providers, and the great number of male polo professionals who came to coach and watch and support behind the scenes.”

Haley Bryan: “WOW has advanced women players and women’s polo in general. It has given more credibility to women’s polo and helped those who play become more organized, and more serious as teammates, athletes and horse[women].”

*Kylie Sheehan is Team USPA alumna. Team USPA is a USPA program designed to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the United States by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and pro players and the resultant giveback to the sport of polo.