NEWS

Newport Polo is pleased to announce the inaugural East Coast Open Women’s Polo Championship 14- to 20-goal tournament that will take place on June 22 to July 1, 2018. The tournament will be hosted by Westchester Polo Club in Newport, Rhode Island, in conjunction with the Myopia Polo Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Concurrent to the Open tournament, Newport Polo will also host the East Coast Handicap Women’s Polo Championship 8- to 12-goal tournament.

“It is exciting to introduce two new women’s medium and high-goal polo tournaments in the U.S. sanctioned by the United States Polo Association, and bring more opportunities for top-level polo competition to the Northeast,” Leighton S. Jordan, USPA Northeastern Circuit Governor.

“It is fitting that this tournament will be played at the first official polo club in the United States, where noteworthy tournaments have originated since 1876. We will see the top women players in the sport compete in this inaugural event and historic highlight of the Northeast polo season this summer.”

“It will be exciting to see another first happening in New England, with two of the oldest clubs in the country,” stated Peter F. Poor, USPA Governor at Large. “Women players represent the fastest growing segment of the USPA, and have become a very strong presence in the sport. My daughters Amanda and Alyson will be participating, attributing their involvement in the sport to the late Sunny Hale.”

“We are honored to host these two new women’s polo tournaments, with the best women players from across the U.S. and from several nations around the world,” added Dan Keating, Westchester Club Delegate and President. “We look forward to showcasing the achievements of women in the sport of polo, and provide more forums of upper levels of competition for advancing players. We invite all women players to make their mark in polo history. “

Each tournament will feature several top level teams competing for the prestigious Sunny Hale and Anne Hutchinson silver trophies, and the winners recorded in the USPA annual Bluebook. Hale is remembered as a passionate ambassador for the players and horses of polo, and considered to be one of the all-time greatest female polo players and role model for many women in the sport. Hutchinson, a champion of civil liberty and toleration in the colonial era, became the first woman to found a community in the New World (Portsmouth, Rhode Island - 1638) and is revered in New England as a heroine of freedom.

Team Registration closes at 5:00pm ET on Friday, June 8, 2018. Tournament Entry Fee has yet to be set. The complete schedule will be finalized once all the teams have registered. All interested parties should contact agnes@nptpolo.com to receive detailed information.

Paddock space and stabling references are available upon request. Referrals to Newport Visitors Center travel experts are also available upon request to answer destination queries and assist with booking reservations.

Newport Polo is the home of the Westchester Polo Club, America's first polo club, offering exhibition polo and club member services for outdoor and arena polo, and polo instruction. Established in 1876, founding member of the USPA and host of the Newport International Polo Series.

For more than 375 years, Newport has been welcoming visitors from near and far to its charming New England coastal harbor, earning its reputation as America’s First Resort. Evolving from its colonization for religious freedom to prominent colonial port to a destination ripe with sport, culture, history, art, entertainment and scenic beauty, distinctive shops, renowned restaurants, diverse accommodations and world-class events, its past, present, and future make this international resort uniquely legendary.