Abercrombie & Kent’s Del Walton at the U.S. Open Polo Championship® Alumni Match at Oak Brook Polo Club (Oak Brook, Illinois) ©Karl Knapp
Club Development The Club Development Department of USPA Polo Development, LLC is committed to USPA Member Clubs, and individuals, who are dedicated to growing polo at the grassroots level and beyond, by identifying and sharing “best practices,” sustainable solutions and networking opportunities. In 2018, the Polo Development Initiative (PDI) Program overseen by the PDI Subcommittee of the Club and Membership Development Committee, chaired by Denny Geiler, awarded over 100 awards totaling $660,000 in support. Highlights of the 2018 PDI award process were two regional associations in Central Texas and Chicago, bringing together polo clubs through cooperative efforts to grow and promote the sport of polo. In 2018, 59% of Registered Players were registered with the USPA through 2018 PDI clubs, and 61% of new USPA members (joined within the last three years) joined through 2018 PDI clubs. This reflected an increase of 8% and 11% from 2017 and 2016 comparisons, respectively.
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The Polo Development Intern Program is aimed at identifying young, talented individuals looking to pursue a career in polo, and providing them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed. In 2017, the Club and Membership Development Committee established the Intern Subcommittee, chaired by David Ragland. Twelve young aspiring polo professionals participated in the Intern Program, many of which were undergraduates of the Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) Program. A focus of the Club Polo 101 Program for 2018 was guidance and support of the formation of the Chicago Polo Association (CPA), which has had a whirlwind of activity in 2018. The CPA, a collective cooperative effort of six USPA Member Clubs, 14 fields/facilities, and two highly successful polo schools, had over 100 unique participants partake in various levels from the polo