Interscholastic Polo

Newport Polo’s Interscholastic team program of over 30 years, was developed to conform to the United States Polo Association (USPA) Interscholastic/Intercollegiate guidelines & schedule. Listed below are the requirements for official competition, including expenses and deadlines (for tournament qualification and submission of forms).

Newport Polo organizes weekly interscholastic polo ‘preseason’ instruction in the summer months, in preparation for the Interscholastic Polo Season which runs concurrent with the school year, beginning in the Autumn with weekly team practices and/or scrimmages, and home and away qualifying games through winter, to qualify for tournaments in Feb/Mar.

Newport Polo manages team registration and coordinates the submission of all necessary team paperwork to the USPA.

Player commitments:

Attendance at Weekly team practices, scrimmages, games and tournament
Submission of USPA player forms in a timely manner to Newport Polo

Costs: Team members are responsible for paying their share for the following opportunities, at the time they occur: instruction; scrimmages; games; tournament(s); travel expenses. We do not require any team or club membership fee.

Newport Interscholastic Team

Goals: participate in the USPA Preliminary/Regional Tournaments at the end of the season (March). In order to meet that goal, the team must qualify and register per USPA rules:

The team is required to play at least 2 qualifying games by Jan. 11.
Each player must be a current member of the USPA – please join or renew online.
Mandatory Eligibility Registration paperwork must be filed individually with the USPA by USPA deadlines;

Expectations

Players must know the rules of Arena Polo. They have to know how to play when in a game, coach or no coach. They have to know and abide by the official rules of play in order to receive an active position on the team roster.
Players must be sufficient in all manner of horsemanship & horse handling, including tacking, hot walking, rolling wraps, etc. At games and tournaments, players will be required to do these tasks for themselves. Grooms are not provided in interscholastic or intercollegiate polo.
Players must be available to participate, and come prepared for scheduled games. Rested, practiced, with their personal equipment & safety gear and uniforms, and on time.
Attendance at Weekly team practices, scrimmages, games and tournament
Submission of USPA player forms in a timely manner to Newport Polo and to USPA

Player Costs & Expenses

Personal safety equipment
- Helmet
- Faceguard and/or eye protection
- Knee pads (optional)
- Boots (recommended)
Personal playing equipment
- Mallets
- Whip
- Gloves (optional)
- Team uniform shirt, white jeans or white riding britches
US Polo Association Membership Fee (first year is free, renewal is $50/player/year under the age of 19)*
- Link to US Polo Association MEMBERSHIP (For memberships created or renewed after July 1 of a given year, select the following year as the year that you are signing up for. And for type, select ‘Student Player Membership'; and for club affiliation, use our official name 'Westchester Polo Club'.
- As a first-time member of the USPA, age 19 and under qualify for the First Year Free 'Student' Membership
- All interscholastic players are required to be registered members of the USPA and will not be permitted to compete in games without this membership.
Weekly Lessons $100/player
2-Chukker Scrimmages $100/player
- Can take the place of a lesson. These are good preparations to play games.

Game Fees $225/player* based on a 4-player team or $300/player* based on a 3-player team. (for a 2-game package, home + away) (cost is subject to change)

o These are games against other teams within our region, to fulfill the requirement (of at least 2 qualifying games by Jan. 11) to participate in the USPA Tournaments.

o Each home game is 4 chukkers. Our goal is to schedule home games against teams that will reciprocate with an invitation to play away at their facility. That way, the home game fee actually buys 2 games - a home game and an away game.

o Does not include AWAY GAME COACH, at $100/diem, divided equally by the traveling team players.

USPA Preliminary and/or Regional Tournaments (to be divided by the players on the team)
- Tournament Fee: $800/team + $100 Magazine Fee = $total* ÷ 4 players = ($100 waived if you sell any size ad in annual USPA Interscholastic/Intercollegiate Polo national publication by Dec. 1)
- travel expenses, depending upon the location of the tournament
- Does not include AWAY GAME COACH, at $100/diem plus travel & lodging, divided equally by the traveling team players.