Greenwich Polo Club Announces the 2017 East Coast Open, August 24 – September 10
All Matches will be live-streamed on USPA Polo Network
Greenwich Polo Club, in partnership with Audi of America and its 29 Tri-State Audi Dealers, are proud to present the 2017 East Coast Open. Hublot, the luxury Swiss watch brand, has signed on as the Official Timekeeper of the 36th season and its most competitive event. This year’s high-goal polo tournament will take place August 24 – September 10 at Greenwich Polo Club. Considered to be one of the most prestigious polo competitions in the United States, the East Coast Open features top polo teams and polo players competing in the 20-goal tournament.
“We are proud to host the East Coast Open for the third year at Greenwich Polo Club,” said Peter Brant, Founder of Greenwich Polo Club. “The tournament showcases the top level of polo and it has grown in popularity thanks to the support of team owners, our sponsors and fans. The last two years the competition was so tough both matches ended in sudden death overtime. We expect polo players to bring their best again this year for the chance to have their names forever memorialized on the Perry Cup trophy.”
Public games will take place over three consecutive Sundays and are expected to draw more than 11,000 spectators to Greenwich Polo Club. The United States Polo Association® (USPA), the national governing body for the sport of polo, will live stream all tournament games on the USPA Polo Network at uspolo.org/video (check out USPOLO.ORG for tournament information, schedule and updates). In 2015 and 2016, the East Coast Open had more than 35,000 live streaming views, in addition to on-demand. The 2017 matches are expected to have over 50,000 live views.
“The East Coast Open is one of our most prestigious tournaments and Greenwich Polo Club is a great venue for hosting the tournament,” said USPA Chairman Joe Meyer. “Last year featured some of the top teams in the country and this year is no different. We would like to thank Greenwich Polo Club for making this event a continued success.”
Since 1978, the Perry Trophy has symbolized the East Coast Open championship. Winners of this high-goal tournament have laid claim to this ornate symbol of excellence, tradition and sportsmanship. The East Coast Open continuously attracts national and international fanfare and the world’s leading polo players, who will soon descend on the town of Greenwich, in the hopes of etching their names on the tournament’s trophy.
The East Coast Open will kick off at Shreve, Crump & Low’s showcase gallery at 125 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT on August 24 presented by Hublot. Approximately 150 polo players, USPA officials and guests will attend the private cocktail event which will feature an official draw to decide each polo team’s placement in the historic tournament. The public is invited to meet and greet polo players and to take photos with them, as well as Audi Sport display vehicles and, polo horses in front of Shreve, Crump & Low, Greenwich Polo Club’s official trophy provider, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
On August 27, September 3 and September 10, Audi will extend access to their VIP hospitality and parking area to the first 25 Audi owners to enter the Greenwich Polo Club grounds.
“We are pleased to continue our partnership with Greenwich Polo Club and the East Coast Open as a sponsor of this year’s tournament,” said Nathalie Carpenter, Audi of America Eastern Region Marketing Manager. “This continued partnership not only further affirms Audi’s commitment and support of polo in the United States, but provides an organic and exciting platform for our brand to engage with fans of the sport.”
On August 27 LOOK Greenwich will be hosting a ticketed tent for fans who wish to have a full VIP polo experience. As the official timekeeper of the 2017 season, Hublot will be hosting a VIP event for the final on September 10, with polo fans invited to view luxury brand’s selection of both sporting and dress watches. Greenwich Polo Club with Veuve Clicquot, the official champagne of the 2017 season, will host a photo contest for best picnic on August 27.
“Hublot is excited to partner with Greenwich Polo Club on the East Coast Open, and we feel that the mix of sport and refinement speaks perfectly to our brand,” said Jean-François Sberro, Managing Director of Hublot of America. “After supporting polo in Gstaad, Ascona, Beijing, and earlier this year in New York with the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, we are happy to continue our long line of key sporting partnerships, including support of the top level of polo in the U.S. this summer with the East Coast Open tournament.”
Hublot will be providing a timepiece to the MVP of the East Coast Open. Maria Mendelsohn is the official real estate partner of Greenwich Polo Club and will be awarding Best Playing Pony at the end of each match. Pololine will be producing a special program each week featuring interviews with polo players, game stats and features on polo ponies and teams. Pololine, in coordination with Argentina, will also be awarding the best “Polo Argentino” horse of each of the three Sunday public matches of the East Coast Open. The 2017 tournament partners also include Hospital for Special Surgery, Barbados Tourism, US Polo Assn., Montepicaza, Stick & Ball, and luxury handbag designer Jeffrey Levinson.
Each Sunday from 1:00 p.m to 3:00 p.m. during the East Coast Open, fans may also have the opportunity to tour The Brant Foundation Art Study Center, dedicated to promoting the education and appreciation of contemporary art and design, which is located adjacent to the field and is featuring a new exhibit “Animal Farm” curated by Sadie Laska.
Tickets are now available for the East Coast Open at www.greenwichpoloclub.com/eco/tickets/. Tickets range from $40 – $100 per car for lawn seating, $60 per car for grandstand seating, $300 for box seats (seats 4) and $600 for VIP private cabanas (seats 8-12). Gates open at 1:00 p.m and matches start at 3:00 p.m. The field address is 1 Hurlingham Drive, Greenwich, CT 06831. Dogs on leashes are allowed.
The East Coast Open was founded at Myopia Polo Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts by Donald V. Little Sr., then Vice President of the USPA. The tournament was played at Myopia Polo Club until the early 2000s. At its height, 13 teams played in the tournament, including many 10-goal players who inspired a number of today’s players to pick up their mallets.