Historic 2023 U.S. Open Polo Championship Closes Out a Record Year at the Sport’s Premier Destination in Palm Beach County, Florida
WELLINGTON, Fla., April 26, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The 2023 U.S. Open Polo Championship® has officially closed out the American high-goal polo season at the USPA National Polo Center (NPC) - Wellington, the sport's premier destination, with a thrilling win by Team Park Place over Team Valiente in a score of 12-11, with more than $200,000 awarded to finalists in the 2023 tournament season.
The U.S. Open Polo Championship is recognized as being the most prestigious tournament in the United States and showcases some of the world's best polo players and equine athletes. Played at the U.S. Polo Assn. Stadium at NPC, the U.S. Open final achieved record attendance and aired to a record global audience across multiple ESPN platforms.
In the action-packed final game, which was interrupted at half-time by heavy downpours on Sunday, April 23, and finished Monday, April 24, Valiente, led by Adolfo Cambiaso, played Park Place, led by Hilario Ulloa. The game was neck and neck, where ultimately Park Place prevailed in the closing minutes of the sixth chukker as Ulloa received a pass from teammate Juan Britos and ran the ball up the field to put his team up by one, guaranteeing the win. This amazing play gave Park Place their very first U.S. Open Polo Championship title with a final score of 12-11, taking home $100,000 in addition to the highly coveted trophy.
"Congratulations to Park Place and their Captain Hilario Ulloa for this incredible win, and their first-time U.S. Open Polo Championship title, as well as to Valiente and Adolfo Cambiaso for such a well-fought game and tournament overall," said Stewart Armstrong, Chairman of the USPA. "The USPA is proud to have such outstanding players, teams and equine partners, and we are grateful to the partners and supporters who made this season possible."
"With such exciting and high-profile polo events ranging from the XII Federation of International Polo (FIP) World Polo Championship and the historic Westchester Cup to the U.S. Open Women's Polo Championship and the U.S. Open Men's Polo Championship, among many more great games, the 2023 polo season proved to be both a record-breaking and unforgettable season," added Armstrong.
U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association, donated to the finalists' charities of choice, including the following: Homes for Horses Coalition, Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, Polo for Life, Polo Players Support Group, Polo Pony Rescue, Polo Training Foundation, Replay Polo, Retired Racehorse Project, Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, and Work to Ride Program.
"We are proud to partner with the United States Polo Association, the National Polo Center, ESPN and Palm Beach County to increase exposure and create more fans for the sport of polo, locally and around the world, where the U.S. Polo Assn. brand is available," says J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global Licensing Inc., which manages the multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. "U.S. Polo Assn. is also so honored to support the U.S. Open Polo Championship and so many important and deserving polo-based charities," Prince added.
Watch the re-broadcast of the U.S. Open Polo Championship on ESPNews on Saturday, April 29. Check your local listing for air times.
This U.S. Open final marked the end of the first full season at NPC since its landmark purchase by the USPA in the Fall of 2022. Fans can buy U.S. Open Polo Championship® official merchandise at USPAPro.
About U.S. Polo Assn.
U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the nonprofit governing body for the sport of polo in the United States and one of the oldest sports governing bodies, having been founded in 1890. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through some 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores and thousands of department stores as well as sporting goods channels, independent retailers and e-commerce, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel for men, women, and children, as well as accessories and footwear in more than 190 countries worldwide. U.S. Polo Assn. was named one of the top five sports licensors in 2022, according to License Global. Visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn.
USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL) is the for-profit subsidiary of the USPA and its exclusive worldwide licensor. USPAGL manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand and is the steward of the USPA's intellectual properties, providing the sport with a long-term source of revenue. Through its subsidiary, Global Polo Entertainment (GPE), USPAGL also manages Global Polo TV, which provides polo, sport and lifestyle content. A historic, multiyear, global arrangement has been signed by USPAGL and ESPN for the world's leading sports content provider to air many of the top championship polo games in the U.S., allowing millions of global sports fans and consumers to enjoy the sport across ESPN's broadcast and streaming platforms. For more sport content, visit globalpolo.com.
About the United States Polo Association® (USPA)
The United States Polo Association was organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its Member Clubs and Registered Players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions and games, and providing rules, handicaps, and conditions for those tournaments, competitions, and games including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts. Founded in 1890, the USPA is the national governing body for the sport of polo. The USPA is currently comprised of almost 200 member clubs with thousands of individual members and oversees 40 national tournaments. For more information, please visit uspolo.org.
Contact Information:Stacey Kovalsky
Senior Director, Global Communications
skovalsky@uspagl.com
+001.561.790.8036
Shannon Stilson
VP, Sports Marketing & Media
sstilson@uspagl.com
+001.561.227.6994
Original Source: Historic 2023 U.S. Open Polo Championship Closes Out a Record Year at the Sport's Premier Destination in Palm Beach County, Florida
ESPN to Air Women’s and Men’s Finals for United States Polo Association’s National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 18, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Representing the top-rated intercollegiate polo programs in the country, the 2023 Division I Women's and Men's National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC) Finals were played on Saturday, April 15, with Texas A&M University winning the Women's Division and the University of North Texas bringing home the victory for the Men's Division. The Women's and Men's Finals will air on Sunday, April 23, at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPNU. Check your local listings or click HERE for air times and channels.
U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), proudly outfitted 49 collegiate polo teams, of which 11 teams qualified to compete in the United States Polo Association's Division I National Intercollegiate Championships. The final contenders in the Women's Division included Texas A&M University, University of Virginia, University of Kentucky, Southern Methodist University, Cornell University, and University of South Carolina-Aiken, and the final contenders in the Men's Division included the University of North Texas, University of Virginia, Texas A&M University, Cornell University, and Southern Methodist University. The 101st Annual Event was held at the Virginia Polo Center in Charlottesville, VA.
The most celebrated tournament for Division I Collegiate Polo in the United States included support from U.S. Polo Assn.'s nationwide Collegiate Partnership Program (CPP), available to all colleges and universities with a USPA-sanctioned collegiate polo team. Through the CPP, U.S. Polo Assn. provided student-athletes from a total of 30 colleges with complete game attire throughout the official 2022-2023 polo season. This is the fifth consecutive year for this program, where teams range from East to West Coast and include small private and large public institutions, as well as Ivy League and Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs).
The 2023 USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) Program is dedicated to growing the sport of polo through future generations in the United States. For the second year in a row, the Women's and Men's Finals will be aired on ESPNU as an extension of the historic relationship with ESPN, which highlights the student-athletes and the sport of polo on a collegiate level.
"U.S. Polo Assn. is proud to once again support the National Intercollegiate Championship through the U.S. Polo Assn. Collegiate Partnership Program and to continue to bring awareness to the 101-year-old National Intercollegiate Program that serves so many student-athletes," said J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global Licensing, which manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. "Not to mention, our ability to continue promoting the sport of polo at the collegiate and professional levels to sports fans around the world on ESPN platforms for the first time in the sport's history."
Support from U.S. Polo Assn.'s Collegiate Partnership Program includes customized performance team jerseys, white performance pants, polo shirts, caps, and equipment gear bags as well as a monetary donation for a total of 49 collegiate teams throughout the country. New to this year's polo kit are USPA Pro items, the sports performance product line, which is uniquely designed in collaboration with professional polo players for the highest level of performance on the field.
"The Finals of the NIC represent the end to another great season of collegiate polo, and we are so proud of our student-athletes for their efforts this year. We also want to recognize the horses - our equine athlete partners make it all possible," said Liz Brayboy, Chair of the USPA's Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Committee. "We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of U.S. Polo Assn. for the fifth year in a row. In addition, the exposure our college polo teams receive on ESPN platforms is amazing for both the sport and our players."
In addition, the 2023 Division II Women's and Men's National Intercollegiate Championship Finals were played on Sunday, April 2, with California Polytechnic State University winning the Women's Division and Babson College bringing home the victory for the Men's Division. The final contenders for the Women's Division included University of Connecticut, Oklahoma State University, University of California Davis, and University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the final contenders for the Men's Division included University of Kentucky, Stanford University, Texas Tech University, and California Polytechnic State University.
The USPA and U.S. Polo Assn. congratulate all 2023 Division I and Division II Women's and Men's National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC) participants.
About U.S. Polo Assn. and USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL)
U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the non-profit governing body for the sport of polo in the United States and one of the oldest sports governing bodies, having been founded in 1890. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through some 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores and thousands of department stores as well as sporting goods channels, independent retailers and e-commerce, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel for men, women, and children, as well as accessories and footwear in more than 190 countries worldwide. U.S. Polo Assn. was named one of the top five sports licensors in 2022, according to License Global. Visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn.
USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL) is the for-profit subsidiary of the USPA and its exclusive worldwide licensor. USPAGL manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand and is the steward of the USPA's intellectual properties, providing the sport with a long-term source of revenue. Through its subsidiary, Global Polo Entertainment (GPE), USPAGL also manages Global Polo TV, which provides polo, sport and lifestyle content. A historic, multi-year, global arrangement has been signed by USPAGL and ESPN for the world's leading sports content provider to air seven of the top final polo games in the U.S., allowing millions of sports fans and consumers to enjoy the sport across ESPN's broadcast and streaming platforms. For more sport content, visit globalpolo.com.
About the United States Polo Association® (USPA)
The United States Polo Association was organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its Member Clubs and Registered Players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions and games, and providing rules, handicaps, and conditions for those tournaments, competitions, and games including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts. Founded in 1890, the USPA is the national governing body for the sport of polo. The USPA is currently comprised of almost 200 member clubs with thousands of individual members and oversees 40 national tournaments. For more information, please visit uspolo.org.
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Additional Photos on Request. Photo Credits: Oana Photo
For Further Information, Contact:
Shannon Stilson - VP, Sports Marketing & Media
Phone +001.561.227.6994 - Email: sstilson@uspagl.com
Stacey Kovalsky - Senior Director, Global Communications
Phone +001.561.790.8036 - Email: skovalsky@uspagl.com
Original Source: ESPN to Air Women's and Men's Finals for United States Polo Association's National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC)
