NEWS

The Tournament and Arena Committees are thrilled to announce the launch of a brand-new initiative aimed to inject excitement into the sport for present and future members. The new format of the National Arena Amateur Cup (NAAC) creates an opportunity to showcase the accessibility of amateur polo and to incentivize 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 will be eligible. In accordance with National Arena Amateur Cup rules, no player may have a handicap higher than the upper limit of the event. If there is a question regarding whether a player falls into the amateur category, that decision will be made by the NAAC Tournament Committee, in consultation with the home club manager of the player and Circuit Governor of that home club.

Eligibility to play in the National Arena Amateur Cup will be based on a point system. Those who have competed in the Pacific Coast Arena League (PCAL), Texas Arena League, horse shows, or other sports—like NASCAR, cycling or triathlons—should be familiar with the concept of a points system based on win-loss or ranking.

Points will be given to individuals playing in all USPA Arena Events – Circuit, Sanctioned and National. Points will be based on the number of teams and team standing in each tournament. All points described below will be awarded to each team member, not the team as a whole.

Point system is as follows:

Event with three teams or less: winning team members receive two points each.

Event with four to five teams: winning team members receive two points each, second place team members receive one point each.

Event with six to seven teams: winning team members receive three points each, second place team members receive one point each.

Event with eight to nine teams: winning team members receive four points each, second place team members receive two points each, third place team members receive one point each.

Event with ten teams or more: winning team members receive five points each, second place team members receive three points each, third place team members receive two points each, fourth place team members receive one point each.

Tournament results shall be turned in to the USPA in a timely fashion. The USPA will post point standings and a regularly updated list of players that are attempting to qualify for the National Arena Amateur Cup.The more USPA arena tournaments a player competes in the more points he or she will accrue. It is not necessary to maintain the same team, points are given to each team member. The USPA will notify players who have achieved the necessary point accumulation to qualify for the NAAC.

The National Arena Amateur Cup will be held at Orange County Polo Club in Silverado, California, in November 2019. “Orange County Polo Club has the most amazing new facilities complete with a fantastic clubhouse, LED lighted arenas, and a jumbotron (yes, jumbotron),” reported Robin Sanchez, who umpired a PCAL event at Orange County Polo Club in 2018. Once players have committed to participate, the National Host Tournament Committee will make teams to compete at the 0- to 3-goal level of the tournament. The idea grew out of discussions with Avery Chapman, Mike Carney, Robin Sanchez, and USPA CEOs past and present, concerning how to excite and incentivize present players to play more, play longer and invest more time into the sport. The aspiration of the program is to extend local players’ investments into their home clubs and tournament structure and encourage inter-circuit and national play. This new format will start in the arena in 2019 with future plans to expand to the National Amateur Cup (outdoor).