52 College Teams Receive Gear for 2024 Season from Global, Sport-Inspired Brand
WEST PALM BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2024 / U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), will outfit teams for the 2024 Collegiate Polo Season through its nationwide Collegiate Partnership Program (CPP) for the sixth consecutive season.
A record total of 32 colleges have signed up to participate in U.S. Polo Assn.'s annual CPP, representing 52 collegiate teams with 30 women's and 22 men's teams. Enrollment for the sport's enrichment program is open to all colleges and universities with a USPA-sanctioned polo team and lasts for one academic year. Teams in the program range from East Coast to West Coast and include small private and large public institutions, as well as Ivy Leagues and Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs). New schools joining the program this year include Brown University, Cornell University, and Georgetown University.
Participating Schools Include:
| Brown University | Montana State University | Texas Christian University | University of Massachusetts |
| California Polytechnic State University | Morehouse College | Texas Tech University | University of Michigan |
| Colorado State University | Oklahoma State University | Trinity University | University of North Texas |
| Cornell University | Oregon State University | University of California - Davis | University of South Carolina - Aiken |
| Georgetown University | Skidmore College | University of California -Santa Barbara | University of Virginia |
| Grossmont College | St. Edward's University | University of Connecticut | University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| Michigan State University | Stanford University | University of Idaho | Virginia Tech University |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Texas A&M University | University of Kentucky | Yale University |
Through this program, U.S. Polo Assn. will provide student-athletes with complete game attire that includes customized performance team jerseys, white performance pants, polo shirts, caps, equipment gear bags, and USPA Pro merchandise. A monetary donation is also given to each team, which can be used for travel or operating expenses. Another contribution this year includes a 4ocean bracelet that will be given to all student-athletes, highlighting U.S. Polo Assn.'s continued partnership with the ocean sustainability organization dedicated to ending the ocean's plastic crisis. There is also a "Collegiate Social Media Contest," where teams will have the opportunity to win additional prizes for their creative social media posts.
Sanctioned by the USPA, collegiate polo teams compete in the Fall and Spring with the official season beginning Fall 2023 and running through April 2024. This season will conclude with the National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC) hosted at the Virginia Polo Center in Charlottesville, VA, from April 8-14, 2024.
"Now in its sixth year, our Collegiate Partnership Program remains one of our most rewarding programs by supporting student-athletes across the country both on and off the polo fields," said J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global, the company that manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. "Through the U.S. Polo Assn. brand, our goal with this program is to highlight our authentic connection to the sport of polo and support future athletes of the game."
Back for the second year, the College Polo Tour, an exchange program for collegiate polo players, continued throughout 2023 with tours to Morocco, Spain, and Argentina. In total, 44 players from Cornell University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Southern Methodist University, University of Kentucky, and Yale University, alongside other international universities, experienced this program in both the Summer and Fall of 2023.
"The 2023/2024 Collegiate Polo Season has started, and we are excited to have the continued support of the official brand of the United States Polo Association to provide amazing products and opportunities to our committed student-athletes," said Liz Brayboy, Chair of the USPA's Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Committee. "Our partnership with U.S. Polo Assn. provides these student-athletes across the nation access to opportunities that they might not have otherwise, allowing them to grow and build their polo careers."
New to the CPP this year, the award-winning series Breakaway: Polo in College will air on ESPNU for the first time. Created by Global Polo Entertainment, the media subsidiary of USPA Global, the episode will cover the winning teams from both the 2023 and 2024 NIC Men's and Women's Finals in Charlottesville. Check your local listings for airtimes.
About U.S. Polo Assn. and USPA Global
U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the governing body for the sport of polo in the United States and one of the country's oldest sports governing bodies, founded in 1890. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through over 1,200 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores as well as thousands of additional points of distribution, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel, accessories, and footwear for men, women, and children in more than 190 countries worldwide. A recent, multi-year deal with ESPN to broadcast the premier polo championships in the world, sponsored by U.S. Polo Assn., has made the thrilling sport accessible to millions of households globally for the very first time.
U.S. Polo Assn. has consistently been named one of the top global sports licensors alongside the NFL, NBA, and MLB, according to License Global. In addition, the sport-inspired brand is being recognized around the world with awards for global growth, expansion, licensing, and digital presence. Due to its tremendous success as a global brand, particularly in the last five years, U.S. Polo Assn. has been featured in Forbes, Modern Retail, and GQ as well as on Yahoo Finance and Bloomberg, among many other noteworthy media sources around the world.
For more information, visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn.
USPA Global is the for-profit subsidiary of the USPA and manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand, providing the sport with a long-term source of revenue. Through its subsidiary, Global Polo Entertainment (GPE), USPA Global also manages Global Polo TV, which provides sports and lifestyle content. A historic, multi-year, global arrangement between USPA Global and ESPN now showcases many of the top championship polo games in the U.S., enabling millions of sports fans and consumers to enjoy the sport across ESPN's broadcast and streaming platforms. For more sport content, visit globalpolo.com.
Contact Information
Stacey Kovalsky
VP Global PR and Communications
skovalsky@uspagl.com
+001.561.790.8036
Shannon Stilson
VP, Sports Marketing & Media
sstilson@uspagl.com
+001.561.227.6994
SOURCE: USPA Global Licensing Inc.
View the original press release on newswire.com.
