Jul 22, 2021 7:05 PM
U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand for the USPA, welcomes American polo player Matt Coppola* as the brand’s newest global ambassador. Coppola, now 26, has been playing professionally since he was 14 years old and played in the 2011 U.S. Open Polo Championship® Semifinals at the age of 16. Today, he is one of the highest handicapped American players.
The scope of Coppola’s year-long role as global brand ambassador is designed to shine the spotlight on the dynamic crop of young and talented polo players. Coppola will be outfitted in U.S. Polo Assn. apparel and gear both on and off the field.
“U.S. Polo Assn. is proud to welcome professional polo player Matt Coppola to our outstanding roster of global brand ambassadors for 2021,” said J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global Licensing. “Coppola is an exceptional polo player who has come up the ranks quickly in the U.S. He is an excellent representation of what our brand is all about – sport-inspired, youthful, vibrant and fun.”
Born and raised in Wellington, Florida, by show jumper Jesse Coppola and professional polo player Tony Coppola, he developed a love for horses at a young age. Coppola travels the United States and Argentina to play professional polo throughout the year and works with his father to help give racehorses a second career in polo. Coppola is also a graduating member of Team USPA, a prominent program developed and managed by the USPA to develop young American polo players for the highest levels of competition.
“I could not be more excited to represent U.S. Polo Assn., with whom I have worked over the years through the brand’s sponsorship of the GAUNTLET OF POLO®,” said Coppola. “As a professional polo player, it’s meaningful for me to represent a brand that’s authentically connected to polo and gives back to the sport and its players.”
Coppola has competed in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 GAUNTLET OF POLO® competitions in Wellington and has triumphed in many of these prestigious tournaments. With a shooting accuracy of more than 70 percent, Coppola, playing for Las Monjitas, ranked second out of all the players in the 2019 GAUNTLET OF POLO® and first for shooting accuracy in the U.S. Open Polo Championship®. In 2021, he played in the GAUNTLET OF POLO® with Park Place, alongside Andrey Borodin, Hilario Ulloa and Juan Britos, winning the prestigious C.V. Whitney Cup and making the finals of the U.S. Open Polo Championship®.
To learn more about Coppola and to see him play in these exciting events, visit globalpolo.com.
*Matt Coppola is a Graduating Team USPA Member. 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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