Great Futures Celebrity Polo Match

By Arianna Delin, Sharon Robb for Grand Champions Polo Club

Grand Champions, the nation’s busiest and most innovative polo club, will host the Great Futures Celebrity Polo Match for the third consecutive year.

On Sunday, March 13th at 10 a.m. some of polo’s top players, including the sport’s ambassador Nacho Figueras, will gather for a fun morning of polo while raising money for the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington.

American television personality John Walsh, a criminal investigator, human and victim rights advocate and creator of America’s Most Wanted, will also compete.

Nacho Figueras. File Photo

Walsh and Figueras will join Stewart Armstrong and Riley Ganzi on the Grand Champions team against the Equuleus team of Annabelle Gundlach, Leo Mandelbaum, Brandon Phillips and Malcolm Borwick.

Walsh is an avid amateur polo player who competes throughout the world and plays in several charity events across the nation.

“It is a terrific event,” Walsh said. “It’s a great group of people coming together to help the Boys & Girls Club, the lifeline for many of these kids from a life of crime or selling drugs. These clubs are changing children’s lives one child at a time. They do God’s work.”

Figueras is the sport’s international ambassador and one of the most well-recognized players in the world as the face of Ralph Lauren.

John Walsh. File Photo

“It is always fun when you can play polo and do something for kids,” Figueras said.

Grand Champions president and USPA Florida Circuit Governor Melissa Ganzi and her husband Marc are thrilled Grand Champions is hosting the event for the third year.

“This is such a great event for the Wellington community,” Melissa Ganzi said. “Marc and I live in Wellington, it’s our home. Grand Champions Polo Club is based here.

“What Neil has done for the community of Wellington is just above and beyond. Neil is so generous. He takes such pride in what he is doing in the community. The boys and girls club makes a difference in so many people’s lives.

Annabelle Gundlach. File Photo

“Because of this polo event and Neil’s generosity, the club has quadrupled in the number of children they are able to service. I think that shows how important taking the day and having a polo event and brunch is.”

Proceeds from the fundraiser match and Great Futures Brunch At Polo at International Polo Club Palm Beach at 12:30 p.m., featuring a silent and live auction, benefit the boys and girls club.

The Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys and Girls Club of Wellington along with twelve other Boys and Girls Clubs in Palm Beach County and more than 1,100 in the United States, provides services including after-school activities and camp opportunities in a safe environment to underprivileged kids, ages 6-18.

Those interested in sponsorship packages or attending the brunch can contact Kristen Cummins, Special Events Manager at 561-683-3287 or email kcummins@bgcpbc.org.

Brandon Phillips. File Photo

The polo match is free to the public. Sponsors and guests will be invited along with all of the supporters of the Boys & Girls Club including the club’s children and their families to attend the polo match.

The Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington is located at 1080 Wellington Trace. The non-profit organization is open year-round and serves 7,000 children.

Grand Champions Polo Club host polo tournaments ranging from six to 20-goal in addition to special events. The club also features The Polo School, dedicated to teaching polo, particularly grass roots youth. Its mission is to provide individuals opportunities in polo. The Polo School operates in Wellington January through June and September through November.