RIDING HIGH The once-humble USPA is now a hugely successful business with the means to take polo to new heights, says Sarah Eakin
One evening in March 1890, a dinner party took place in New York that launched the Polo Association – now known as the United States Polo Association (USPA). In attendance were several notable fgures, including HL Herbert, John Cowdin and Thomas Hitchcock. By June, seven clubs had joined the association, and its formation marked the founding of the secondoldest national governing body of sport in America, second only to the United States Tennis Association established in 1881. Today, 125 years on, the USPA is thriving. During its early lifetime it relied on dedicated individuals – mostly volunteers – to keep it going. Thanks to the advent of the US Polo Assn. brand – products offcially sanctioned by the USPA, which are licensed in more than 135 countries – the association now has an annual budget of more than $10m. Around 21 per cent of this fgure is channelled into umpiring, 14 per cent on marketing – including a frst-time deal with network television – 33 per cent on polo development and 33 per cent on services; and the sport is feeling the beneft.
