Mar 19, 2019
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (March 19, 2019) — USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL), the official licensing arm and national broadcaster of the United States Polo Association (USPA), announced that U.S. Polo Assn. will sponsor one of the most prestigious global events in women’s polo, the Susan G. Komen U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship™, a national USPA tournament. The sponsorship will include co-sponsoring the draw party, showcasing field signage, and providing certain teams with jerseys and whites as well as working in conjunction with the Women’s International Polo Network to boost the event’s global visibility through social and traditional media platforms.
Following several years at the Houston Polo Club, the event has shifted to South Florida for the first time. Following the draw party on March 13th at the 7th Chukker Restaurant & Lounge, play dates will be March 16 - 21 at Port Mayaca Polo Club in Okeechobee. The finals will be hosted on Saturday, March 23 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach on the U.S. Polo Assn. Stadium Field at 11:00 a.m. EDT and Live Streamed on USPA Polo Network at USPOLO.ORG.
The eight teams participating in this year’s U.S. Open are: BlackWatch, BTA/The Villages, Cabo Wabo, Cedar Croft Farms, Crossfit El Cid, Hawaii Polo Life, Icon Global and San Saba.
This high-profile event has become a huge showcase for the talents of some of the country’s most recognized female players, including U.S. Polo Assn. brand ambassador Hope Arellano* as well as Mia Bray, Gillian Johnston, Pamela Flanagan, Melissa Ganzi and Dawn Jones. “As much as we love Houston, we’re all very enthusiastic about the move to Florida this year. We’re honored to be playing in the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship in the middle of the high goal season, at the perfect time of year as it relates to the global tournament calendar, with closer geographic proximity to attract top players from England, Argentina, and Africa. Having a record eight teams participating, and the finals on the U.S. Polo Assn. Stadium Field, is representative of the significant growth in women’s polo we wish to promote. We’re all friends eager to compete in one of the most prestigious women’s polo tournaments in the world. I’m excited to see how the week will unfold!” said Jones.
Likewise,said J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global Licensing Inc. “We are very excited about partnering with Susan G. Komen and being involved in the U.S. Women’s Polo Championship,” Prince noted. “This is one of the premier events for women’s polo in the United States and the world, and U.S. Polo Assn. is honored to support this amazing tournament for such an important cause. We are fully committed to continue telling the powerful stories of these amazing women and this important event around the globe.”
*Hope Arellano is a member of Team USPA. 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.
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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