GLADIATOR POLO Returns to Wellington Bigger and Better in January 2018
Last year’s inaugural Gladiator Polo season took Wellington by storm, ushering in a new era of arena polo and offering an additional evening of equestrian entertainment during the popular winter circuit.
Gladiator Polo is a re-energized form of traditional arena polo, which pits teams of three against each other in an “ice hockey-like” environment, where play of the boards is encouraged and the fast-paced nature of the game captivates spectators and fans alike.
The brainchild of Mark Bellissimo, managing partner of the Wellington Equestrian Partners, which oversees the ownership and management of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, home of the Winter Equestrian Festival, the Adequan Global Dressage Festival at Equestrian Village, and the Wanderers Club, Gladiator Polo seemed to be a surefire way of re-engaging polo fans and introducing the sport to an entirely new spectator group on Thursday and Friday evenings at Equestrian Village on South Shore Blvd.
“It has always been our intention with Gladiator Polo to engage fans and spectators on a global scale. Gladiator Polo can become a tremendous catalyst in promoting interest in the sport of polo and equestrian sport as a whole,” Bellissimo said. “The fan base and support we’ve seen surrounding Gladiator Polo motivated us to expand the reach of the game so we can interact with a broader audience around the world and ultimately offer an opportunity to provide enormous exposure for the sport.”
The response to the inaugural season was incredible. Thousands of fans flocked to Equestrian Village on the first evening game in January to watch the action unfold live.
Themed by the ancient Roman era in 2017, Gladiator Polo featured four teams during the inaugural season: Team Spartacus, Team Priscus, Team Spiculus and Team Crixus, each named after famous gladiator figures from antiquity.
The teams played for an ultimate purse of $250,000, the largest prize money offering known in modern day polo in the final match of the season. Team Spiculus ultimately captured the top title in 2017, using the teamwork of Sebastian Merlos, Mariano Obregon and Pelon Escapite to outplay opponent Team Spartacus to take home the largest cut of the massive check.
The game of arena polo is traditionally played in a 300-foot-by-150-foot arena on packed footing, helping the ball to move quickly across the playing surface, but also allowing fans to sit close to the action and experience the game like never before.
This season, Gladiator Polo will once again return to Wellington during the winter season as the perfect accompaniment to traditional field polo hosted at the International Polo Club Palm Beach on Sundays from December through April.
This year’s Gladiator Polo season will feature 13 league games followed by another high-dollar final match at the end of the season in April. The number of teams in the Gladiator Polo league will also expand in 2018, increasing from last year’s four to a total of eight teams.
Following a successful debut in Wellington, Gladiator Polo transitioned to a summer home hosted at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina, sister venue to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, where once again the derivative of arena polo was met with immense enthusiasm. More than 10,000 fans attended the inaugural match in June, before returning for the Gladiator Polo Fall Series at the venue, which hosted four weeks of competition in September.
“We were thrilled with the support and engagement of the fans and spectators surrounding Gladiator Polo this year, and thoroughly impressed with the level of play we saw across the board from each of the participating players,” Bellissimo said. “Our goal is to expand this game on both a national and international level and feel that these players and this atmosphere translates well anywhere in the world. We’re looking forward to the future of this game and are eager to unveil a re-energized version of the series in 2018 in Wellington.”
Gladiator Polo Manager Gates Gridley is eagerly anticipating the start of the 2018 season and is confident that the play and intensity of the second season will entice more spectators to become involved with the sport.
With its fast-paced nature and simplicity of regulations and rules, Gridley believes that Gladiator Polo is the perfect introduction to the sport of polo that can help bring a broader spectator audience base to the game, not just on a national level, but also on a global scale.
“It has been very clear from the response and popularity that we’ve experienced to this point that the future of Gladiator Polo is very bright,” Gridley said. “Fans love the action, the players love the pace of the game, and I think it checks a lot of boxes for people wanting to experience something new in Wellington during the winter. The expansions that we have planned for the upcoming 2018 season will be major, and we feel that it will only help to broaden the platform the sport provides. We’re incredibly excited.”
The first match of Gladiator Polo’s season in Wellington will take place in the beginning of January and continue through the peak season, with a final in April. For more information about Gladiator Polo, visit www.gladiatorpolo.com.
