Jan 24, 2023 6:00 PM
With Wellington, Florida, already buzzing in anticipation for the first ever Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super-Series, the United States Polo Association and participating clubs are delighted to announce the addition of the inaugural Florida Circuit 8-Goal Super-Series to the 2023 winter season docket. Much like the 16-Goal version, the series will be played across multiple clubs, with the Championship hosted by the National Polo Center - Wellington (NPC). The participating clubs include The Villages Polo Club (The Villages, Florida), International Polo School (Wellington, Florida) and Port Mayaca (Okeechobee, Florida).
The USPA tournaments that comprise the series include a Regional President’s Cup at each respective club as well as a fourth qualifying tournament at the International Polo School (Wellington, Florida). Each tournament will serve as a qualifier for the Florida Circuit 8-Goal Super-Series Championship, with each winning team moving on to the final event in April.
Encouraging even more collaboration across the Florida Circuit, the 8-Goal Super-Series will allow participants to experience the grandeur and prestige of competing at NPC while also having the opportunity to enjoy playing in the comfort of their home club. At the 8-goal level, there is also a lot more room for players of all backgrounds to compete, expanding the number of players that will have the opportunity to step onto the field at NPC. Uniting the polo community across several clubs in the state, USPA Tournament Committee Chairman Stevie Orthwein commented, “This competition connects us all together as part of the season.”
Orthwein continued, “There was always the idea of trying to figure out how to get other levels of polo played at NPC and to work NPC into the surrounding club landscape. With the enthusiasm of the 16-goal and how well it was received, that got people a little more excited and sped the USPA up in trying to get something going for the 8-goal.”
The primary objective in creating the 8-Goal Super-Series was to make 8-goal polo a staple in the Florida Circuit, persuading players from across the country to map their way to the sunshine state to compete. Orthwein shared, “Around the country, 8-goal is a very popular level that a lot of different clubs play. This will add a very significant, prestigious 8-goal experience in Florida that will entice players who in the past may not have traveled to Florida to come and compete. That's the real draw.”
Hoping to attract new players to Florida at this level, Orthwein continued, “The point of this is that the players who are not coming to Florida see something in the Florida Circuit worth competing in that hasn't been there in the past. I think the beauty of the 8-Goal Super-Series is that it's at a level that a lot of different people can play in and that helps draw people in who don't come to Florida who play that level in the summer. Now they have something to come to Florida for.”
In the future, the hope is to expand the scope of the series to include more circuits, further developing the prestige of 8-goal polo. Orthwein added, “The evolution of this competition at this level is that we start to host qualifiers outside of Florida. For example, there might be a qualifier in California, one in the Northeast Circuit, and so on. Each one would be an eligible qualifier. I see this growing where we include more circuits across the country. The idea is that this will be the most prestigious 8-goal in the U.S.”
More information on dates and how to enter each event is listed below. Details on the fourth qualifying tournament will be available soon.
Florida Circuit 8-Goal Super-Series Championship Qualifying Tournaments
Regional President’s Cup
Hosted and managed by Port Mayaca Polo Club (Okeechobee, Florida)
Tournament Dates: February 2-25, 2023
Contact Club Manager Laura Townsend for entry
Phone: (772) 228-0115
Email: Laura@pmpolo.com
Regional President’s Cup
Hosted and managed by International Polo School (Wellington, Florida)
Tournament Dates: March 1-31, 2023
Contact Club Manager Gates Gridley for entry
Phone: (203) 232-6935
Email: jgridley@equestriansport.com
Regional President’s Cup
Hosted and managed by The Villages Polo Club (The Villages, Florida)
Tournament Dates: April 7-16, 2023
Contact Club Manager Francisco Bilbao for entry
Phone: (561) 889-6603
Email: francisco.bilbao@thevillages.com
Association Cup
Co-hosted by International Polo School (Wellington, Florida) and Port Mayaca Polo Club (Okeechobee, Florida)
Tournament Dates: April 1-16, 2023
Contact Club Manager Gates Gridley for entry
Phone: (203) 232-6935
Email: jgridley@equestriansport.com
The Florida Circuit 8-Goal Super-Series Championship
Hosted and managed by NPC
Tournament Dates: Semifinals TBD, Final to be played at 10 am ET on April 23, 2023
Entry limited to the four winners of the qualifying tournaments
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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