Sir Winston Churchill famously pronounced that “a polo handicap is your passport to the world”. Edward Olver and Tom Hudson, old university friends and ex-British Army officers, had this sentiment in mind when founding British Polo Day in 2011 as a global polo network to showcase British luxury craftsmanship and heritage in new and emerging markets.
The game of polo has developed from being not just a sport but to a way of life, with British Polo Day becoming an unparalleled platform for elite engagement.
Since inception, the event has hosted 12 Royal families, 100 independent billionaires, over 10,000 of the global elite and leading business figures, including Sir Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Vinod Kumar and Jim Rogers.
Global expansion
The British Polo Day Global Series has grown to become one of the leading polo events of today and is celebrated in more than 10 different countries. New events in 2014 included Australia, Morocco and the USA, while the series will spread even further afield in the coming years, debuting in South Africa and a number of other locations in 2016/17.
Global Partnership Family Offices (GPFO) have been sponsors of British Polo Day since 2014 and is building its association globally. “It has allowed us to meet many new families and provided opportunities for us to bring families along to enjoy polo in fabulous locations. The British Polo Day team do a stellar job in complementing the polo with world-class activities which our guests have also participated in,” says Michael Oliver, co-founder of GPFO.
“This has provided many networking opportunities for families to do business and to meet like minded people across the globe. In 2015, Global Partnership will have a particularly strong presence in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Australia,” adds Michael Shelton-Agar, GPFO’s chief executive officer.
“The atmosphere at our events is always outstanding. The series is a true celebration, not only of our partners’ brands, but also of the lifeblood of British Polo Day, which is the friendships that are formed as we bring like-minded people together against the backdrop of world-class polo,” Olver says.
While Hudson feels that, “friendships develop into business relationships in a familial atmosphere, as opportunities are explored from the platform of genuine integrity, loyalty, trust and understanding that those attending British Polo Days foster.”
The year’s round of events commence in the first quarter of 2015 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), kicking off on March 21 at Abu Dhabi’s Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, the private royal club of His Highness Sheikh Falah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Last year’s event was quite the glamorous affair, with world-class polo players entertaining
a crowd of noted VIPs, including the Marchioness of Milford Haven, top British artist Sacha Jafri and Help for Heroes founder Bryn Parry.
The next leg swiftly follows six days later at the prestigious Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, which last year was swamped by the who’s who of UAE society and some of world’s most influential business figures.
Her Highness Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, joined Mohammed Al Habtoor to showcase the best of Dubai polo. VIP guests included British Ambassador Dominic Jermey, Sir Maurice and Lady Audrey Flanagan, Jeremy Hackett, fashion designer Zaeem Jamal, celebrity entrepreneur Hugo Taylor, art dealer Frederik Ferrier and Dubai TV personality Uma Ghosh.
Uniquely, polo matches in the UAE are conducted the traditional Middle East way on camels as well as on horseback. In a new twist to the game this year, British Polo Day will
feature the first Middle East bicycle polo match.
Given that British Polo Day events are strictly invitation-only, the official travel partner Abercrombie & Kent offers select clients a rare opportunity to attend the prestigious occasions and enjoy exclusive access to private residences and private landmarks.
Charitable aims
Polo has a long history of raising significant funding for worthy causes all over the world. The British Polo Day team is entirely committed to bringing to bear the full weight of its partners, network and creative talent to this end.
To date, British Polo Day has raised the impressive figure of almost $1.5 million for extremely worthy causes. Fundraising in 2014 hit the philanthropic heights with over $600,000 raised and a record-breaking $310,605 from one single event held at the prestigious Black Bears private estate in Henley-on-Thames, UK.
Money raised has helped a plethora of notable causes. In last year alone, donations were distributed to Women and Health Alliance, Help for Heroes, Great Ormond Street Hospital, The Eve Branson Foundation, Head Injury Through Sport, The James Wentworth Stanley Memorial Fund, the Brooke and British Red Cross.
Also to local organisations, such as Homeboy Industries in the United States, The Indian Head Injuries Foundation, the Australian National Centre of Indigenous Excellence and local Mexican charities, Únete Dona en Vida and Amigas de Querétaro.
