Thundering hooves, the race of the horses, the whack of the mallet, a score. This season, polo fans can enjoy everything about the sport of kings right from their own living room.
With the pandemic making it difficult for some fans to watch from the sidelines, the United States Polo Association and its partners are making sure that polo comes to the fans when the Gauntlet of Polo series returns to the International Polo Club Palm Beach in February 2021.
First there was broadcast, then cable and satellite television. Now there is the over-the-top (OTT) media service hosting by Global Polo TV. This exciting livestreaming media service uses the internet to bring all the action of polo matches as they occur.
“In January 2020, we launched a new OTT network called Global Polo TV,” said Shannon Stilson, assistant vice president of marketing for Global Polo Entertainment and USPA Global Licensing.
Available on iOS, Android, Amazon Fire and Hulu, spectators are now able to access high-quality polo media using any of these applications simply by visiting www.globalpolo.com.
Timely and convenient, Global Polo TV will allow fans to enjoy the Gauntlet of Polo when it returns to Wellington with a full roster of the best teams and best horses from around the world.
But only the team with unsurpassed stamina, talent, determination and strategy can endure three full months of competition and win the entire series of tournaments. A winner of all three will earn not only world-renowned bragging rights but substantial prize money.
Global Polo TV fans, new and old, can watch these incredible games as they unfold, up close and personal, featuring the most talented equestrian athletes in the world.
“The number-one-rated tournament in the United States is the U.S. Open Polo Championship,” Stilson said.
The U.S. Open is overseen by the United States Polo Association, the governing body for the sport of polo in the U.S. It will be held March 31 through April 18, 2021 at IPC in Wellington.
“The U.S. Open has been contested more than 110 times,” Stilson said. “It is the final of the three events that comprise the Gauntlet of Polo, the $1 million prize tournament series only won by Team Pilot in 2019.”
The other two tournaments are the C.V. Whitney Cup, scheduled for Feb. 17 through March 7, 2021 and the USPA Gold Cup, scheduled for March 10-28, 2021.
“Together with the USPA communications department, we film more than 110 games during the polo season,” Stilson said. “The amount of games depends on how many teams are in the tournament. In 2019, we had 16 teams, 14 in 2020, and we expect 8 to 10 teams in 2021.”
Many spectators enjoy expert broadcast coverage of sporting events as much or more that being there in person. No inclement weather, no heat and all the comforts of home.
“We cover the events with multiple cameras, five in total: one in the center, two in the goal mouths, an aerial drone and one roaming,” Stilson said. “We have been livestreaming games in Wellington for more than eight years with ChukkerTV, our production partner, and founder Melissa Ganzi. The emphasis has been to provide instant replay for quality umpiring. Now, we have a new, better, global platform to showcase every game and utilize the game footage to build great feature stories on the players and horses who are a central part of the game.”
The shows seek to extend the traditional on-field polo experience. “Our goal is to continue to provide ‘Polo 101’ explanation to teach new viewers, so they can enjoy the games as well,” Stilson said. “For the final U.S. Open, scheduled for April 18 at the International Polo Club on the U.S. Polo Assn. stadium field, we film the game with an additional production crew, so we have six additional cameras on site, professional broadcast talent, and this is carried on CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network, Eurosport and Dsport, to an audience of millions.”
Initial feedback and pending COVID-19 developments, IPC and the USPA are working on opening in January at 50 percent capacity.
The broadcasting of the games gives fans an opportunity to enjoy brunch at home with their family and then watch a match in their living rooms, if they are not able to make it to the stadium.
Global Polo Entertainment is the for-profit subsidiary of USPA Global Licensing that manages the media and broadcast rights for the USPA. U.S. Polo Assn. is the USPA’s global apparel brand and the only official apparel brand for the sport of polo in the U.S.
The polo season will begin at IPC on Sunday, Jan. 3 with the Joe Barry Memorial Cup, which launches the 18-goal series. The 18-goal series also includes the Ylvisaker Cup and the Iglehart Cup.
Prior to the start of the 22-goal 2021 Gauntlet of Polo series, the remainder of the 2020 USPA Gold Cup, which was postponed due to COVID-19, will be played. The semifinals will commence Wednesday, Feb. 10 and culminate with the final on Sunday, Feb. 14. The Gauntlet of Polo will return for the third year to the U.S. Polo Assn. Field on Wednesday, Feb. 17 with the start of the C.V. Whitney Cup.
IPC will also be welcoming back the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship beginning on Wednesday, March 10 and concluding with the final on Saturday, March 20.
Plans regarding spectators, stadium seating and brunch are still being finalized and will be released soon. The safety of staff, players and spectators are of the utmost importance, so IPC will have various safety protocols in place. Visit www.internationalpoloclub.com for updates regarding these new procedures.
Visit www.uspolo.org to learn more about the upcoming winter season and the Gauntlet of Polo series. Visit www.globalpolo.com to check out all the polo action available to view.
