Sarah LesslerThe Polo Club at NPC is relaunched as A HOME FOR ALL EQUESTRIAN ENTHUSIASTS.
In June 2022, the U.S. Polo Association (USPA) purchased the former International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida, now renamed the National Polo Center (NPC). The center includes stabling, six full-size polo fields, the impressive field Number 1, and the stadium.
Also included was the Polo Club at NPC, a private club that, as part of its mission, brings together equestrian athletes, enthusiasts, and the community while complementing all that the USPA stands for. Also, there is a newly refurbished Pavilion for game viewing and private events. The Pavilion is open to the public for Sunday buffets and viewing exciting matches. During the other days of the week, the Pavilion hosts private and public events, from weddings and benefits to meetings of professional organizations.
The National Polo Club, lead by chairman Tim Gannon of Outback Steakhouse fame, president Craig Callen, and the independent board of directors, has recently invested in its facilities and programs. In March, Equestrian Living magazine spoke with Gannon and Callen.
Craig Callen and Tim Gannon
GANNON:
“The USPA purchase was made to create a legendary “Polo Club For Life” so that polo would endure in grand form on these polo fields and become the epicenter of polo in the United States.
Wellington is an interesting community of horse lovers. There are equestrians from all different disciplines. There’s the dressage community, the jumper community, and the polo community. We have about 50 polo fields in Wellington. Approximately 28% of all the land in Wellington is owned by equestrians for equestrian uses. That’s why what we do here at the club is bring all three of those disciplines together into a community. Polo people don’t know much about the jumping or dressage worlds. Jumpers and dressage riders don’t know much about polo. So, they’re all here. It’s very interesting that we all love horses, but we all love to do different things.”
CALLEN:
“Few athletic communities have this number of world-famous top performers available to them. When we bring Laura Kraut and Adolfo Cambiaso under the club’s roof, we are bringing together sports legends right here, where they are live and accessible. We also have a tremendous breadth of ages and family members represented. On one hand, we have both ten-goal Cambiasos, Adolpho (49) and Poroto (17), and on the other hand, Jan (66) and son Ben (25) Ebeling, compete for TEAM USA in dressage. Our objective at the Polo Club is to tap into all the expertise and excitement of being surrounded by some of the greatest of all time as well as the youngest aspiring equestrians. Lastly, for non-riding family members, the Polo Club’s tennis program has become a huge success and a draw for new members.”
GANNON:
“The dressage and jumping worlds don’t really have a social club where people can come on a daily basis and hang out with each other. We offer that to the entire equestrian community. I think that’s what makes us unique and welcoming. There were approximately 240 members when the club was purchased, and we are now up to over 350 members with a robust membership profile.
And not just for members, but also for the community of Wellington people. It’s one of the few ways that the public can access polo. Historically, people have felt polo was elitist and not approachable. Our Sunday match ticket sales and the Pavilion are open to the public for Sunday brunches and also lunches during the week. The Pavilion is a beautiful building that offers galas and dinners and charitable and beautiful events.
There’s not one inch of this facility that we haven’t taken a hard look at refreshing. Everywhere you look, we’ve tried to enhance the physical part of the club. Also, for example, we’re having a 40-goal game—the only 40-goal game played in North America. And then the other side of the improvements is the social side. There are the speaker series, wine dinners, Caribbean nights, movie nights, and all of the different ways we can celebrate our community here and make our members feel special.
To see the digital magazine version of this article click here and to read the entire May/June issue of EQ Living, click here. To check learn more about the National Polo Center check out the NPC website.