With Wellington already buzzing in anticipation for the first ever Florida Circuit 16-Goal Super Series, the United States Polo Association and participating clubs recently announced the addition of the inaugural Florida Circuit 8-Goal Super Series to the 2023 winter season docket.
Much like the 16-goal version, the series will be played across multiple clubs, with the championship hosted at the National Polo Center-Wellington (NPC). The participating clubs include the Villages Polo Club in the Villages, the International Polo School in Wellington and Port Mayaca in Okeechobee.
The USPA tournaments that comprise the series include a Regional President’s Cup at each respective club, as well as a fourth qualifying tournament that is still being determined. Each tournament will serve as a qualifier for the Florida Circuit 8-Goal Super Series Championship, with each winning team moving on to the final event in April.
Encouraging even more collaboration across the Florida Circuit, the series will allow participants to experience the grandeur and prestige of competing at NPC, while also having the opportunity to enjoy playing in the comfort of their home club. At the 8-goal level, there is also a lot more room for players of all backgrounds to compete, expanding the number of players that will have the opportunity to step onto the field at NPC.
USPA Tournament Committee Chair Stevie Orthwein said that the new series unites the polo community across several clubs in the state.
“This competition connects us all together as part of the season,” Orthwein said. “There was always the idea of trying to figure out how to get other levels of polo played at NPC and to work NPC into the surrounding club landscape. With the enthusiasm of the 16-goal and how well it was received, that got people a little more excited and sped the USPA up in trying to get something going for the 8-goal.”
The primary objective in creating the 8-Goal Super Series was to make 8-goal polo a staple in the Florida circuit, persuading players from across the country to map their way to the Sunshine State to compete.
“Around the country, 8-goal is a very popular level that a lot of different clubs play,” Orthwein said. “This will add a very significant, prestigious 8-goal experience in Florida that will entice players who in the past may not have traveled to Florida to come and compete. That’s the real draw.”
He believes that this new series will give players who are not coming to Florida something in the Florida circuit worth competing in.
“I think the beauty of the 8-Goal Super Series is that it’s at a level that a lot of different people can play in, and that helps draw people in who don’t come to Florida who play that level in the summer. Now they have something to come to Florida for,” Orthwein said.
In the future, the hope is to expand the scope of the series to include more circuits, further developing the prestige of 8-goal polo. “The evolution of this competition at this level is that we start to host qualifiers outside of Florida,” Orthwein said. “For example, there might be a qualifier in California, one in the northeast circuit, and so on. Each one would be an eligible qualifier. I see this growing where we include more circuits across the country. The idea is that this will be the most prestigious 8-goal in the U.S.”
Florida Circuit 8-Goal Super Series championship qualifying tournaments include:
• A Regional President’s Cup hosted and managed by Port Mayaca Polo Club slated for Feb. 2-25. For more info., contact Club Manager Laura Townsend at (772) 228-0115 or laura@pmpolo.com.
• A Regional President’s Cup hosted and managed by the International Polo School slated for March 1-31. For more info., contact Club Manager Gates Gridley at (203) 232-6935 or jgridley@equestriansport.com.
• A Regional President’s Cup hosted and managed by the Villages Polo Club slated for April 7-16. For more info., contact Club Manager Francisco Bilbao at (561) 889-6603 or francisco.bilbao@thevillages.com.
• The Florida Circuit 8-Goal Super Series Championship will be hosted and managed by NPC with the final to be played at 10 a.m. on April 23.
