Newport Polo hosts the Ukraine Polo Team on its only North American stop in its Global Goodwill Tour for Opening Day on Saturday, June 3, 2023 featuring USA vs. Ukraine at the Newport International Polo Series.
Endorsed by the Ukraine Polo Federation, the delegation of players are funding LUkraine.lu for humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine with a Global Tour of 8 polo capitals, starting in Newport on Friday, June 2 at 6PM with a Benefit Premiere of Polo Passport at Jane Pickens Theater as part of Opening Weekend festivities, followed by a cocktail reception next door at official team headquarters, The Vanderbilt from 7-9pm to meet & greet the filmmakers and Ukraine Polo delegation. Team Ukraine’s tour, organized by Polo House Prive, will continue with stops in Windsor, Italy, St. Tropez, Sotogrande, then Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires.
Tickets for the one-night engagement at the Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center can be purchased at www. janepickens.com for $35 (which includes a complimentary drink) at the JPT box office window at 49 Touro Street on Washington Square in Newport, RI. Each ticket holder will receive a token upon entry to the theater for a complimentary cocktail at the Meet & Greet reception following the premiere (reception by RSVP).
Tickets for USA vs. Ukraine as the 37th nation to make its debut on the following day in the Newport International Polo Series are available at www.nptpolo.com. The 5PM polo match will begin with a flag raising of the Ukraine national flag, and live rendition of the Ukraine and US national anthems by soprano Olga Lisovska of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus at Boston Symphony, Odyssey Opera, and New England Conservatory. The 6-chukker polo match will feature a half-time divot stomp on BD Field at the polo grounds in Portsmouth, and will conclude with a Trophy Presentation and autograph signing, a complimentary Absolut toast at the fieldside Modern Luxury Lounge and catered menu (by advanced reservation).
The Polo Series will continue every Saturday through September, with international challengers from Spain, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Jamaica, England and South Africa, as well as US City rivals from Boston, Pittsburgh, Palm Beach and New York, and championship matches of major Northeast tournaments in the Independence Cup, Governor’s Cup by Charles Schwab, and BMW Newport Pro-Am among the 18 featured matches this season.
“We are very excited to create an opportunity for sport and community to unite to help Ukraine”, explains Dan Keating, USA Captain, and Polo Series founder. “For the occasion, we have assembled a special screening of Polo Passport, an epic project in the works, on the big screen for one night only, on one of the biggest nights of our agenda – the eve of Opening Day to launch our 32nd season with Team Ukraine followed by a Meet & Greet at The Vanderbilt.” The 50-minute screening will feature the first two episodes of Polo Passport, filmed in Jamaica and Rome in a series that journeys across the planet in search of polo’s diverse culture, cuisine and the amazing characters that bring their game to Newport Polo, led by affable commentator William Crisp. Proceeds from the screening to benefit LUkraine.lu, the nonprofit organization supported by Team Ukraine’s global tour. “This global tour will raise funds to support our country, funding armored ambulances and iPads for educational institutions to enable the children living in the conflict areas to study online,” stated Andriy Bilyy, President of Ukrainian Polo Federation. “We are counting on your support.”
The first in a series of unique Cocktail Meet & Greet soirées this year, Newport Polo invites supporters to the The Vanderbilt from 7pm-9pm by RSVP. Capacity is limited. The cocktail pouring will take place al fresco in the garden courtyard. Cash Bar. Dinner reservations afterwards in the Garden, Dining Room or Roof Deck are welcome by reservation – call to inquire (401) 846-6200. Parking is available in the adjacent metered lot on Mary St.
Now in its 4th decade, the Polo Series carries on the legacy of the first polo club in America & host to the world’s first international polo match. 18 rivals spanning the globe and major U.S. cities are scheduled to compete against the home team, USA/Newport every Saturday, June through September.
JUNE will herald the start of summer in Newport on June 3 for Opening Day, featuring USA vs. Ukraine hosted by The Vanderbilt, with an endorsement from the International Federation of Polo to invite the team for its debut, whose players are currently university players and expats residing outside the nation while we hope for an end soon to the Russian invasion and national lockdown. The 3rd annual Bentley vs. Rolls-Royce showdown will pit apex rivals on the field, with ample horsepower on display for automotive fans on June 10. Spain is set to return on June 17, hosted by The Chanler, for its 8th contest for the perpetual cup, last contested in 2013, with a team that is generations deep, and descendants of Spanish polo’s founding father. Then Newport’s closest city rival, Boston, will close out the month on June 24, with the home team seeking to reclaim the perpetual cup.
JULY: Independence weekend has long been received with much fanfare in Newport County, home to the oldest 4th of July parade in the country and the Independence Cup on July 1 to heighten the holiday with the high stakes championship match of the USPA Constitution Cup, with the best teams in the Northeast vying for prize money and glory. Perennial favorite, Ireland will be next up on July 8, riding high on a razor close 11-10 win last year. Hailing from the Garden of Ireland, the team from Wicklow is suspected of using lucky charms in leading the historic rivalry. Terrible Towels waving on the sidelines can only signal the return of Pittsburgh on July 15, defending its steely swordsmanship in last year’s duel. With a Lamborghini escort, team Italy rolls in for its 11th rematch against USA on July 22. The Italians have been planning strategy over 365 bowls of pasta to come back swinging this year, with a series of wins abroad leading up to the American challenge. Another historic battle will bookend July when Schwab presents the Governor’s Cup in a championship match of a Northeast regional tournament on July 29.
AUGUST: The season will reach its full crescendo and social peak of the summer on the first weekend in August when Sweden will headline the ABBA ca DABRA Ball at Marble House, then lead a Viking raid to reclaim the perpetual cup on August 5. Rival resort, Palm Beach will breeze through on August 12 with hurricane force against the home team’s steady bulwark that has kept the win-loss record close. Then, Caribbean vibes mask Jamaica’s intensity on August 19 for its 23rd skirmish against USA. The gauntlet of heavy hitters continues with goliath, New York led by a Rolls-Royce motorcade on August 26.
SEPTEMBER brings masters of the game, England, to scorn the rebellious home team on September 2. Top Northeast teams in peak form for prize money will stage the Finals of the region’s last major tournament on September 9 in the BMW Newport Pro-Am. The rainbow nation and polo powerhouse, South Africa is poised to return loaded for game on September 16 in a fierce hunt for the perpetual cup. The Newport Cup presents a Battle of Ages on September 23, and a Grand Prize Drawing will be won or lost on September 30 in the Turkish Airlines Finals.
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