NEWS

Westchester Polo Club located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, (Newport Polo) is pleased to open registration, offering prize money and official team uniforms to the first four teams to register for the Third Annual East Coast Open Women’s Polo Championship (14- to 20-goal), a Sunny Hale Legacy WCT (Women’s Championship Tournament) Qualifier tournament this summer.

Slated for midsummer, July 28 - August 2, 2020, the semifinal round will be hosted by Myopia Polo Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, and the consolation and final will be hosted by Westchester Polo Club.

Sanctioned by the United States Polo Association and sponsoring $2,500 prize money to the winning team, prizes, Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Best Playing Pony (BPP) recognitions will be awarded in each tournament. The first four teams in each tournament to register by Wednesday, June 24, will receive official team jerseys sponsored by USPA Global Licensing Inc. The tournament is made possible, in part, by the United States Polo Association Tournament Stimulus Program. Additional sponsors to be announced.

Tournament registration deadline is 5:00pm ET Monday, July 20, 2020 or sooner if the team limit is reached. Entry form, requirements, schedule, tournament fees and details can be found here.

Professional USPA umpires will officiate the matches. A live draw of teams for their respective opening rounds will be livestreamed on the tournament’s Facebook Group page and on Newport Polo’s Facebook fan page on Saturday, July 25 at 7:30pm ET.

“It is exciting to get women's polo competition back in action with these medium and high-goal U.S. tournaments this summer, hosted by two of the oldest clubs in the country, that continue to add to their legacies and that have done a great job establishing these tournaments as fixtures in the Northeast polo season," stated Leighton S. Jordan, USPA Northeastern Circuit Governor. "It will be a highlight again this summer."

“Each year we have raised our game, and this year will be no exception. All available resources are in effect to provide a first-rate competitive experience, from prize money to the collaborative strength with Myopia Polo Club for our combined best field conditions at the peak of the Northeast polo season, professional USPA Umpires, a veteran Host Tournament Committee, and trusted advisory Tournament Managers at each host site,” stated Dan Keating, Westchester Club President and USPA Club Delegate. “It has been epic to host these tournaments for the past couple of years, with top players participating. We are doing everything we can to support the progress of women in the sport of polo and provide forums of upper levels of competition for players to advance. We invite you to make your mark in polo history.“

The Open will feature top-level teams competing for the prestigious Sunny Hale silver trophy and the winners will be recorded in the United States Polo Association annals. Hale is remembered as a passionate ambassador for the players and horses of polo and is considered to be one of the all-time greatest female polo players and role model for many women in the sport.

Players seeking to connect with other players to form a team are encouraged to post on the tournaments’ Facebook Group page and also contact Agnes Keating at (401) 847-7090 or agnes@nptpolo.com for more information. All tournament participants will automatically qualify to play in the "Sunny Hale Legacy WCT Finals."