Together with the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) in Wellington, Florida, and Port Mayaca Polo Club in Okeechobee, Florida, the United States Polo Association® (USPA) is honored to host the 2017 Federation of International Polo (FIP) Zone “A” World Championship Playoffs, April 26-30. “We are proud to provide a venue to showcase the best athletes from Mexico, Guatemala and the United States,” said USPA Chairman Joseph Meyer, “and look forward to each team competing for an opportunity to advance to the XI FIP World Polo Championship in Australia.”
The team with the best record from Zone A will continue to the World Championship, which will take place October 21-29 at the Sydney Polo Club in Richmond, New South Wales, Australia. Officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee, FIP is the international federation representing the sport of polo. FIP was created in 1982 to enhance the image and status of the game of polo internationally. Established in 1987, the FIP World Championship is the apex of international polo competition; a competitive tournament from 10- to 14-goals, it takes place once every three years in a different location around the world. Horses are provided by the host and pooled among participating nations to give teams equal conditions.
The winner of the FIP Zone A Playoffs will be one of the eight qualifying teams to compete in the eleventh FIP World Championship. The USPA has formed a formidable nine man team consisting exclusively of Team USPA members and is hopeful to send a qualifying team to represent the United States in the FIP World Championship. Under the direction of Coach Joel Baker, Team USPA members representing the USA include: Jesse Bray, Cacho Galindo, Remy Muller, Geronimo Obregon, Herndon Radcliff, Jared Sheldon, Patrick Uretz, Felipe Viana and Jimmy Wright.
Game schedules are as follows:
GAME 1 – MEXICO VS. GUATEMALA
Wednesday, April 26 at 10:30am ET
Port Mayaca Polo Club
GAME 2 – USA VS. LOSER GAME 1
Friday, April 28 at 10:30am ET
Port Mayaca Polo Club
GAME 3 – USA VS. WINNER GAME 1
Sunday, April 30 at 3:00pm ET
International Polo Club
Games 1 and 2 at Port Mayaca Polo Club are free and open to the public, please visit www.portmayacapoloclub.com for more information on attending. Spectators can purchase tickets for Game 3 at IPC by visiting http://www.internationalpoloclub.com. Lawn seats and general admission are $10, stadium box seats and sky terrace seating are $60. All three games will be livestreamed on the USPA Polo Network; visit uspolo.org to watch live or for more information.
About Port Mayaca Polo Club
Situated in Okeechobee, Florida, surrounded by vast sugar cane fields and the popular fishing body of Lake Okeechobee, Port Mayaca Polo Club (PMPC) has steadily become a destination for winter polo. Located on more than 600 sprawling acres, the club has eight regulation fields, club barns with 220 stalls, an exercise track, a stick and ball field, a clubhouse and several acres of pastures for turnout and trail riding. Established by the Orthwein Family in 2006, PMPC began as a family operation, and continues to function as one to this day.
About International Polo Club Palm Beach
The International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) is the premier destination for high-goal polo in the United States. Home to the most prestigious 20- and 26-goal polo tournaments in the nation, IPC has hosted the U.S. Open Polo Championship® for over 10 years. Located in the heart of the horse centric village of Wellington, Florida, polo enthusiasts flock to the club every winter to witness top level polo competition that garners some of the world’s best players, including Adolfo Cambiaso, Facundo Pieres and America’s top-rated players Julio Arellano, Jeff Hall and Nic Roldan.