Program areas at United States Polo Association
Polo development program- primarily focused on the cultivation of the sport through youth Polo and club development initiatives. Polo development is broken into three divisions: club development (Polo development initiative), intercollegiate/interscholastic (i/i) and player development (junior Polo and team uspa). Multiple initiatives aimed at growing the sport of Polo, including player growth development and club development. The team uspa program identifies young, talented american players and provides mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and professional players. The Polo development initiative (pdi program) supports member clubs/members having a stated plan, implementing accountability and future sustainability toward contributing to the sport of Polo. Equine welfare, the care and well-being of Polo ponies is a focus of Polo player development. Junior polo/nyts program provides a venue to grow younger players in the sport of Polo. Intercollegiate/ interscholastic program promotes and grows the sport of Polo by providing maximum exposure to the sport; recruiting collegiate and scholastic institutions; coordinating activities of member schools and players;providing for organized competition, including sponsoring and administering regional and national tournaments with an emphasis on sportsmanship, fairness and safety nationwide. Uspa tournaments support players of all categories, providing a venue for competing and maintaining the sport of Polo.
Member communications/brand strategy- includes publications, marketing, tournament coordination, social media including strategies to promote awareness and growth in the sport of Polo among membership and the general public. Members also benefit from receiving Polo players edition, the official publication of the United States Polo Association, which contains regular articles about game strategy and playing tips, horse care, international Polo, social news, and game results.
Polo umpire program- the umpires llc program is to support all aspects of the umpire services and programs within the United States Polo Association. This includes the training and certification of all umpires, the consistent interpretation of the rules on the field and training, the education of the players regarding the rules and rules updates and the support of the uspa professional umpires. The umpires llc aspires to create a safe, rules driven environment in every club it touches, with the goals of achieving respect and treating all participants fairly.
Member services program- supports all aspects of member services and programs within the United States Polo Association; providing a positive member experience for the purpose of increasing membership to promote the growth of the sport of Polo; tournament support for all levels of players; member publications include the annual rule book and year book which are provided to enhance the membership understanding of the rules of the sport of polo.tournament stimulus package- in march 2020, the world health organization declared a global pandemic related to the outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, covid-19. The spread of this virus has impacted the United States and other global financial and retail markets. The virus caused business disruption. In response to the Polo suspension first enacted in march 2020, uspa reallocated financial resources and developed uspa covid-19 relief packages to help alleviate the financial strain placed on the sport and the Polo community. Covid relief packages ended during 2022, except for the tournament stimulus program, as uspa recognizes the need to continue to support member clubs.