May 15, 2023
Taylor Ejdes/Philadelphia Polo Classic
Tickets are on sale now for the second annual Philadelphia Polo Classic, which will take place in Fairmount Park on Saturday, Sept. 23.
UPDATE 9/21/23: The Philadelphia Polo Classic has been canceled due to "unforseen weather conditions," according to officials organizing the tournament.
Polo players and fans will descend upon the city this fall for the second annual Philadelphia Polo Classic. The tournament will be held in Fairmount Park on Saturday, Sept. 23, and is expected to draw over 4,000 attendees. Tickets for the event, which benefits local youth nonprofit Work to Ride, are on sale now.
General admission tickets are $35 and include lawn or bleacher seating for the two featured matches. There are also pricier ticket options offering private viewing areas, open bars and complimentary food.
Work to Ride, a nonprofit based in the Chamounix Equestrian Center in Fairmount Park, teaches polo — a sport usually associated with the upper crust — to under-resourced Philadelphia kids. More than 100 students have graduated from the program thus far, receiving training in horse sports and care, life skills and help with college enrollment.
One such graduate is Kareem Rosser, who was part of the first team of all-Black players to win the National Interscholastic Polo Championship in 2011. Rosser later played polo at Colorado State University and was the U.S. Polo Association's Intercollegiate Player of the Year when his team won a national championship in 2015.
Rosser, who wrote the memoir "Crossing The Line," will act as captain during this year's event. Other polo stars involved in the tournament include Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras, Nic Roldan, Melissa Ganzi and Grant Ganzi. Teams of current Work to Ride students and alumni will also display their talents.
“This year, we aim to continue to push the boundaries around this incredible sport and highlight the talent present in our community, proving that the sport of kings can be accessible to everyone regardless of their background," Rosser said.
The inaugural Philadelphia Polo Classic was held last September, which sold out and attracted thousands of spectators, many of whom had never watched polo before. Last year's tournament was featured on an episode of HBO's "Real Sports."
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