The Gay Polo League is a worldwide organization of LGBTQ polo players with members in 15 countries.
It was founded in 2006 by polo player Chip McKenney. [1] [2] [3] It is headquartered in Wellington, Florida. [1]
The league has been designated by the United States Polo Association (USPA) as a polo club. [2] It has organized clinics and social events at Eldorado Polo Club, Empire Polo Club, Menlo Polo Club, San Diego Polo Club, Santa Barbara Polo Club, and Will Rogers Polo Club in Los Angeles. [2] Recently, the Polo League has held events celebrating their pride as well as their love for the sport at the International Gay Polo Tournament [4] hosted at the National Polo Center (formally International Polo Club Palm Beach.) [4] The league has also produced GPL polo events in Argentina, England and France.
Since 2010, the league has organized an annual International Gay Polo Tournament. [3] [5] [6] The tournament took place at the Grand Champions Polo Club, owned by Melissa and Marc Ganzi, until 2014. [5] [7] [8] In 2015, it moved to the International Polo Club Palm Beach. [9] During the tournament, each team is joined by a high-goaler. [10] For example, in 2010, eight-goal Nic Roldan joined one of the teams. [10]
The GPL is a 501(c)(3) designated organization and has made charitable contributions to the Wellington Rotary Club, Compass, Palm Beach County chapter of the Human Rights Council, [6] Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), and onePulse Foundation.
Wellington is a village west of West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County and 66 mi (106 km) north of Miami. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area and the fifth largest municipality in Palm Beach County by population. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 61,637 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, making it the most populous village in the state.
West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon.
Carlos Gracida was a Mexican-American polo player. He reached a 10-goal handicap at the age of 25.
Matthew J. Cetlinski is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder.
The National Polo Center (NPC), formerly the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC), located in Wellington, Florida, is one of the largest polo clubs in the world. The club includes several natural grass polo fields, two of which are part of stadiums. Since 2022, the facility has been owned by the United States Polo Association (USPA).
The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in polo that was created in 1886 and is played for by teams from the United States and England. Matches were conducted 12 times between 1886 and 1939, suspended during World War II, and not revived until 1992 due to changing times and interests. Originally contested as a best-of-three series, single-game matches have been held since the event was revived. The most recent match was held in March 2023 at the National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida, won by the English team.
Guillermo "Memo" Gracida Jr. is a Mexican polo player whose international career includes several record-setting achievements, including the most U.S. Open victories (16) and the most consecutive years as an American 10-goaler (21). These feats and dozens of major tournament wins led to Gracida's selection as Player of the Centennial Era in 1990 and his induction into the National Polo Hall of Fame in 1997 while still an active player.
The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other non-heterosexual or non-cisgender (LGBTQ+) community is prevalent within sports across the world.
John Bailey Goodman is an American businessman and polo player whose wealth originates in the family appliance and air conditioning businesses, Goodman Manufacturing Company. A Houston, Texas, native, he became more widely known in the United States for his legal difficulties stemming from a manslaughter conviction in 2012.
Alfred G. "Herbie" Pennell (1921–2000) was an American polo player and long-time manager of the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Summerfield Johnston III, a.k.a. Skeeter Johnston, (1954-2007) was an American businessman and polo player.
The sport of polo is played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) is an annual equestrian festival running for 13 weeks between January and March in Wellington, Florida. Each of the 13 weeks is considered its own horse show, with separate competitions, as well as competitions that run throughout the festival. It is the largest and longest-running equestrian competition in the world. The Winter Equestrian Festival is known for its stunning grounds and villages, stiff competition, and wealth of its participants.
Luis Escobar is a seven-goal polo player. He also owns the Santa Clara Polo Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
The Gulfstream Polo Club was a polo club in Lake Worth, Florida. Since 1923, Gulfstream Polo Club was one of the most prominent polo clubs in North America, particularly during the Florida season (December–April). Gulfstream was managed by Marla Connor for 18 years until it closed in May 2016 at the end of the polo season. Throughout its long history it offered a wide array of tournaments, with 4, 6, and 10 Goal Leagues as well as Ladies Tournaments.
Mason Phelps III, often referred to as "Mason Phelps Jr.", was an American equestrian rider, founder of Phelps Media Group, and an Olympian. He was also president of the National Horse Show.
The Menlo Polo Club is a historic polo club in Atherton, California. Founded in 1923, it organizes the annual Silicon Valley Polo Classic tournament.
The Empire Polo Club is a 1000-acre polo club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, approximately 22 miles southeast of Palm Springs. Founded in 1987, it has hosted international polo tournaments. It leases out its polo grounds for Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Festival annually for the last three weekends in April.
The Grand Champions Polo Club is a polo club in Wellington, Florida.
The 2022 World Polo Championship is the 12th edition of the polo tournament for national teams. It will be held from October 26 to November 6 and will feature eight teams with up to 14 goals of handicap.