Story by Stacey Kovalsky | Photos by USPA Global Licensing
U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), has selected American polo player Matt Coppola as the multi-billion-dollar, sport-inspired brand’s newest global ambassador.
Now 26, Coppola has been playing professionally since he was 14 years old and played in the semifinals of the 2011 U.S. Open Polo Championship at the age of 16. Today, he is one of the highest handicapped American players.
As part of its authentic brand history and connection to the USPA, U.S. Polo Assn. selects polo players as brand ambassadors to shine the spotlight on the dynamic crop of young and talented players coming up through the ranks. The scope of Coppola’s year-long role as global brand ambassador is designed to help connect the brand and the sport through his outstanding performance on the field as one of the top American polo players.
Coppola will be outfitted in U.S. Polo Assn. apparel and gear both on and off the field. He will also post regularly about his polo-related and other daily activities on social media and will engage in media requests for interviews and campaigns. He may also conduct interviews or participate in events on behalf of the U.S. Polo Assn. brand.
“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, which manages the U.S. Polo Assn. brand. “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.”
Coppola 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, who played for Las Monjitas, ranked second out of all the players in the 2019 Gauntlet and first for shooting accuracy in the U.S. Open Polo Championship.
In 2021, he played in the Gauntlet with Park Place, alongside Andre Borodin, Hilario Ulloa and Juan Britos, winning the prestigious C.V. Whitney Cup and making the finals of the U.S. Open Polo Championship. For this most notable championship, Coppola wore his branded U.S. Polo Assn. jersey and other player gear on and off the field. “I am honored to represent U.S. Polo Assn., with whom I have worked over the years through the brand’s sponsorship of the Gauntlet of Polo,” Coppola said. “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.”
Born and raised in Wellington by show jumper Jesse Coppola and professional polo player Tony Coppola, he developed a love for horses at a young age. Today, 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.
U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association, the nonprofit governing body for the sport of polo in the United States, and one of the oldest sports governing bodies, dating back to 1890. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through some 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores, department stores, sporting goods channels, independent retailers and e-commerce, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel for men, women and children, as well as accessories, footwear, travel and home goods in 180 countries worldwide. Recently ranked the fifth-largest sports licensor in License Global magazine’s 2020 list of “Top 150 Global Licensors,” U.S. Polo Assn. is named alongside such iconic sports brands as the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.
To learn more about Coppola and to see him play, visit www.globalpolo.com. Learn more about the U.S. Polo Assn. brand at www.uspoloassnglobal.com.
