Polo has long been considered the “sport of kings”; a thrilling pastime, enjoyed only by the rich and the royal. Although this adage largely held true for many of the early years of the sport, more recently, many clubs, teams, and individual players are making efforts to spread awareness about the sport and bring it to the masses. Additionally, others are utilizing the expensive connections surrounding the sport to benefit thousands. These efforts to give back and change the reputation of the sport has resulted in the installation of many successful charity events featuring high goal polo.
Charitable Polo Abroad
There are many clubs and organizations across the globe raising money for great causes through polo. One club who exemplifies these efforts is the Toronto Polo Club through their charity events Polo for Heart and Polo for the Cure. Polo for Heart began in 1979 through a partnership between Colonel Michael C. Sifton of the Toronto Polo Club and the Heart Action Committee of Toronto. The three day event brings in multiple teams from across the Toronto area and many high goal players, with this year’s spotlight falling on professional players Felipe Viana and Brandon Phillips.
Last year, the event generated over 150,000 dollars for the Southlake Regional Health Centre, which resulted in the founding of the Polo For Heart Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. This life changing event is closely followed by another three day tournament; the Toronto Polo Club’s women’s tournament, Polo for the Cure , that is dedicated to generating funds for breast cancer treatment and research at the Southlake Regional Health Centre. This event, though unaffiliated, is also found across the globe in Italy.
The first annual Polo for the Cure Italia was held in 2022 at the picturesque Acquedotto Romano Polo Club. Beginning with a parade through Rome, this multi-day event includes many celebrations, an air show, live music, and of course, polo. The women’s tournament supports the Susan G. Komen Italia, an organization devoted to breast cancer prevention, research, and treatment, as well as projects related to women’s health as a whole. In addition, the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation (PDKF) also hosts a charitable women’s polo event.
The PDKF was founded by Princess Diya Kumari, the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan and mother of professional polo player Pacho Singh. The organization is devoted to empowering the women of rural Rajasthan by providing education and opportunities for women to gain financial stability and independence. The work and education the PDKF centers provide the women of Rajastahn are largely supported by the funds generated by the PDKF Women’s Polo Game. Alongside PDKF in the planning of this event was U.S. Polo Assn. Inspired by the empowerment of women in the sport of polo and a commitment to philanthropy, PDKF and U.S. Polo Assn. will continue to work together over the next several years.
This year marks the Prince of Wales’ 13th time competing in the Royal Charity Polo Cup. This highly anticipated polo charity event is held annually at the historic Guards Polo Club in Windsor. As the Official Apparel and Team Sponsor, U.S. Polo Assn. aided the Prince and Princess of Wales in raising over £1,000,000 to be distributed to 11 different charities ranging from pediatric services to emergency medical services. The success of last year’s tournament in addition to the funds generated from the 2024 match will bring the Royal Charity Polo Cup’s total funds raised to over £13,000,000 for more than 100 different charities across the UK and beyond. Looking beyond the UK, polo charity events also continue to raise funds for charitable organizations in Africa.
The Sentebale Polo Cup invites power house polo players, such as Prince Harry and Nacho Figueras, to incredible locations to raise money through their high goal competition. This event, most recently held at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Florida is critical to the continued efforts of Sentebale to provide lifelong care and support for children and young adults, including those battling HIV/AIDS in Botswana and Lesotho, by covering healthcare, offering education, and issuing a variety of other life changing services. With the support of the events top three sponsors, U.S. Polo Assn., Royal Salute and ISPSHanda and after the success of this year’s Sentebale Polo Cup, the organization has been able to increase their investment into these critical programs by more than 22 percent.
For the first time at the 2024 Cowdray Gold Cup, a new charitable element was added to the tournament and U.S. Polo Assn. made a donation to Cowdray Park Polo Club’s designated charity, Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS), accepted by Kerry Campbell and Alex Redwood.
Written in collaboration with Lily Brennan