prize money

Asia, Polo News

Ghantoot set to host 20th edition of ‘HH PRESIDENT OF THE UAE CUP’  with half million prize money!

10. March 2020

The Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club (GRPC) are leaving no stone unturned as it prepares to host the 20^th edition of the ‘HH President of the UAE Polo Cup’, one of the most highly anticipated, High handicap polo tournaments in the Middle East.

As many as six teams, comprising some of the best Emirati and international players, will be seen in action in the tournament. The ‘President of the UAE Cup’ offers a lucrative purse of AED 500,000. The first match will be played on Wednesday, March 11 with the final scheduled for March 27. The tournament will be held over a league format with the teams with the highest wins contesting the Grand Final.

All games will be held at the state-of-the-art Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club in Abu Dhabi which was founded by HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and is run under the patronage and directives of his son, HH Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“The sport of polo in the UAE is going in the right way,” said HH Sheikh Falah in his address. “It is a historical occasion for Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club to celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of HH President of the UAE Polo Cup. “We are extremely proud of what has been accomplished at our club and the way the sport of polo has been supported, organized and carried forward into the new decade,” he added. “Creating a legacy is critical to any sport and this landmark year for the HH President of the UAE Polo Cup is testimony to what can be achieved if we do this together. This speaks volumes for the sport’s future in the country.”

HE Zayed Alaboudi Al Zaabi, Ghantoot’s Executive Director, echoed HH Sheikh Falah’s view and said: “Since it was founded in 1994, the Ghantoot Racing & Poloc Club has invested into the successful model created by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and which has been passionately carried forward by HH Sheikh Falah bin Zayed.

“Through their collective vision, the club has grown steadily from humble beginnings into a proud and permanent headquarters for top-level polo in the country,” added Al Zaabi. “It gives me great pleasure to announce that Ghantoot is all set to host the landmark 20^th edition of the HH President of the UAE Polo Club at the magnificent Ghantoot Polo Club, which is the only Royal Polo Club in the UAE,” said Al Zaabi. “We can all look forward to two weeks of high-quality polo from some of the best exponents of the game in the UAE, together with some of the leading players from Argentina, and around the world. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our patrons, partners, sponsors and not least the fans for being with us over the past 20 years. “Good tuck to all the teams participating. I’m sure you will enjoy this just as much as well will watching you play.”

The 2019 edition of the HH President of the UAE Cup was won by Desert Palm who defeated the UAE Polo Team 10-8 in a thrilling final. Hosts Ghantoot Polo Team earned a consolation prize when they defeated Abu Dhabi Polo Team 9-8 in the sub-final.

AT A GLANCE

What: HH President of the UAE Polo Tournament
When: March 11-27
Where: Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, Abu Dhabi
Teams: 6 Polo Teams
Tournament Handicap: 18 Handicap
Watch it Live: www.presidentpolocup.ae

EVENT SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

Governing Partner: Abu Dhabi Sports Council
In association with: Emirates Polo Association
Event Sponsors:
YAS Capital Investments
YAS International Properties LLC
YAS International Development
YAS International Holding
YAS International Investment
La Roche Pharmacy
Official Car:
Premier Motors – Maserati

Official website: www.presidentpolocup.ae
Official social media: www.instagram.com/ghantootpolo

© Thomas Wirth

The Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club (GRPC) are leaving no stone unturned as it prepares to host the 20th edition of the ‘HH President of the UAE Polo Cup’, one…

North America, Polo News

New US Polo Series offers $1,000,000 prize money

4. September 2018

The United States Polo Association (USPA), the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) and USPA Global Licensing (USPAGL) have finalized an agreement for the 2019 tournament series, which will offer a first-ever prize money component with a potential payout of $1,000,000. This highly-anticipated season offers a strong 20-goal and 22-goal level schedule that concludes with the top three most prestigious USPA national tournaments, C.V. Whitney Cup, USPA Gold Cup® and the U.S. Open Polo Championship® under one umbrella. Team interest is very high and early indications are showing a historic number of team entries at 16-20 for the series.

The tournament series will include a “Winner Take All” prize money format for the first time in history that will guarantee $125,000 to each of the winners of the C.V. Whitney Cup and the USPA Gold Cup and $250,000 for the winner of the U.S. Open Polo Championship®. An additional incentive for teams competing in all three tournaments will be a $500,000 bonus for any team that wins all three tournaments in consecutive order, yielding a total of $1 million dollars in prize money.

“The decision to move from 26-goals to 22-goals for the last three major tournaments of the Florida high-goal season has been made in an effort to enhance interest and participation in American polo at its highest level,” said Robert Puetz USPA CEO. “We are pushing to increase spectator turnout in 2019, while creating more opportunities for American players. The level of team interest is inspiring and we look forward to watching the competition unfold in what promises to be the most exciting high-goal season ever.”

“This is the first time that the USPA, IPC and USPAGL have come together in a three-way partnership to create a pinnacle series of high-goal polo to elevate not only the spectator experience but to reveal the team owners and players as the heroes and professional athletes that they are,” said David Cummings, chairman of USPAGL. “Also, U.S. Polo Assn., the Official Brand of the U.S. Polo Association, is privileged to have the naming rights to Field # 1 – the ‘Home of U.S. Polo Assn.’ What better way to show our authentic connection to the sport of polo in America?”

“The new format is very exciting for our organization as we look towards the 2019 high-goal season at the International Polo Club Palm Beach,” said Mark Bellissimo, managing partner of the Wellington Equestrian Partners (WEP). “In order to grow interest in the sport, it is essential that a platform is established for new and upcoming players to get involved. We believe that moving from a 26-goal format to a 22-goal format will increase those opportunities. Supported by the immense addition of prize money and our unprecedented partnership with the USPA and USPAGL, the 2019 season will be one of our most successful yet at IPC.”

During the 2019 season, IPC will also expand the venue’s Polo School, which began taking clients and students in 2018, increase the presence of the venue’s permanent stick-and-ball simulator for practice, and host a thrilling season-long Gladiator Polo™ Series in the newly constructed sand arena at the venue, which was finished at the end of the 2018 season.

The series will culminate with the U.S. Open Final the third weekend of April. The USPA will continue to livestream the high-goal USPA tournaments on the USPA Polo Network (uspolo.org) and the final match of the U.S. Open Polo Championship, which will take place on the third weekend of April, will be aired on CBS Sports.

www.uspolo.org