Gladiator Polo™

 

Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council, along with its partners Palm Beach County Sports Commission, Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission, and Discover the Palm Beaches are sponsoring the Gladiator Polo League which include the title sponsorship of the NBC Sports Network Broadcast of Game 3 of the $250,000 Gladiator Polo™ League Presented by the U.S. Polo Assn. The program will air this Tuesday evening February 28th on NBC Sports Network (DirectTV 220, Dish 159), after the Colorado Avalanche vs Philadelphia Flyers hockey game.

 

“The Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council and our partners in tourism, the PBC Sports Commission, the PBC Film and Television Commission and Discover the Palm Beaches, are excited to support the continued expansion of the equestrian industry in the Palm Beaches,” said Glenn Jergensen, Executive Director of Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council.

 

Undefeated teams Spiculus and Spartacus in February 23 Gladiator Polo game. ©David Lominska/IPC

“As a major economic driver during the Winter Season and the benefit of having our own ‘Super Bowl’ of Equestrian Sports annually in the County, we are proud sponsors of the newest addition, ‘Gladiator Polo,’ along with our continued support of the Winter Equestrian Festival and International Polo,” he added.

 

Mark Bellissimo, Managing Partner of International Equestrian Group (IEG) and International Polo Club, LLC, said, “We are delighted to welcome sponsors the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council, the PBC Sports Commission, the PBC Film and Television Commission and Discover the Palm Beaches. The support of these Palm Beach County leaders enables us to expand our national footprint to attract more equestrian enthusiasts to Palm Beach County which can evolve to be a National Hub for the emerging Gladiator Polo Leagues from Beginners to Professionals.”

 

 

Gladiator Polo is an extreme sport derivative of arena polo created by Bellissimo, in which six mounted players (three on each team) go flat-out to score the most points by hitting a ball through the goalposts. While similar to outdoor grass polo, Gladiator Polo is played in an arena with high quality footing that enables faster play and compares more to “Hockey on Horseback”. The smaller field and stadium seating give spectators an up-close-and-personal view of the fast paced action.

 

NBC Sports Network will broadcast round three of the 7-game high-goal Gladiator Polo series, which took place February 23 at the “Coliseum,” otherwise known as Equestrian Village, in Wellington. The $33,500 contest pitted two undefeated powerhouse teams, Spiculus and Spartacus, against each other. All pros, the players included two of the top polo players in the world: Tommy Biddle (who holds an arena rating of 10 goals) and Sebastian Merlos (9 goals).

 

Team Spiculus is sponsored by Marshall & Sterling Insurance, Equisport Division, and Team Spartacus is sponsored by Carol A. Sollak, P.A. of Engel & Völkers.