2010/11 SEASON PREVIEW
The 2009/10 VPC Season was a huge success both on and off the field. With some 58 playing members in total, 25 of which were new members, the club was never been in better shape – however this is a new season and we are looking to build on this for what is sure to be an exciting 2010/11
The winter has seen the WPNEC grounds team working hard to provide A1 fields for the start of the 2010/11 season. With some good rain and a maintenance program which has seen sanding on all grounds, verti draining on grounds 2 and 3 and a general clean up of the trees around the Chirnside field, the polo facilities have never looked better.
The VPC once again thanks and welcomes all its sponsors for season 2010/11, in particular Stella Artois, The Age and La Martina. Please continue to support these brands who support our sport and our club so well.
The 2010/11 Stella Artois VPC Season will once again run from late October through until the end of April, with the major weekends centring around the following:
- Stella Artois Melbourne Cup – Sun 31st Oct and Sun 7th Nov
- Christmas Polo – Sat 27th Nov
- Stella Artois Portsea Polo (Portsea) – Sat 8th Jan
- Stella Artois February International – Sat 5th Feb
- The Stella Artois Cup – Sat 5th March
The Stella Artois Melbourne Cup is shaping up to be another fantastic tournament with interest already from teams from Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland. Once again Victoria will be represented by The Stella Artois Polo Team who will be fighting hard to claim part of the $20,000 purse on offer.
The VPC committee led by Gillon McLachlan, look forward to seeing both new and old faces down at WPNEC for another fast paced season of polo. Please stay tunned to the VPC website for tournament updates, sponsor messages, event photos, bargains to be purchased on the classifieds and much much more. Most importantly though, ensure you have signed up to MYVPC so you can communicate with all in the polo world.
Don’t miss out on tickets to any of the major events – get in early and secure your car parks. Welcome to season 2010/11.
MYVPC – ARE YOU A MEMBER?
Thank you for a great response in the 2009/10 season to the new initiative of MYVPC, the latest interactive polo network! MYVPC allows you to set up your own MYVPC profile, and get in touch with other MYVPC members. It also provides quick and easy access to all the latest VPC information.
To those who are current MYVPC members do not forget to update your profile with any relevant information for the up and coming 2010/11 season. For those who are not members of MYVPC, we encourage you to join up, create a profile and get into touch with all other members and be updated with the latest news in the polo community, major tournament information and results, weekly chukka results, photos, classifieds, and tips on playing polo from the experts.
Remember: Everyone is welcome to become a member of MYVPC – signing up is quick, easy and FREE!
Look forward to seeing you on MYVPC in the 2010/11 Polo Season
Please feel free to forward any questions or feedback to us by contacting Jane Hawkins via phone (03) 9421 3000 or email jhawkins@elitesports.com.au
WE WELCOME ABOARD A NEW SPONSOR, BULMERS CIDER
Bulmers Cider has recently signed as VPC’s exclusive cider sponsor for the 2010 season. Bulmers premium cider is steeped in tradition. Established in 1887 Bulmers and is unapologetically English heralding form the home of polo- the UK. Best experienced on hot summer days the Polo represents the ideal occasion to enjoy a Bulmers over ice.
KICKING OFF WITH A BANG
Once again we will be holding the annual and much anticipated Victorian Season launch on the Friday night before to Melbourne Cup, this year it will be 29th October 2010. We are still to confirm further details, so watch out for further updates! We look forward to catching up with all and
DON'T MISS OUT ON TICKETS
Tickets and hospitality packages are now available for all VPC tournaments from Focal Promotions (see Ticketing) At just $25 per ticket for a day full of action, you can’t beat a day at the polo!
July 2010 VPC SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
The 2009/10 VPC Season was a huge success both on and off the field. Most pleasing was that we received contributions from all stakeholders of the polo community at different times to create this success.
In summing up the season, we have pulled together the following figures to offer a snapshot of what was the 2009/10 VPC year:
The VPC signed up 58 playing members in total.
Of these 58 playing members, the club welcomed 25 new members, the highest seen since the club’s establishment.
22 of these new members trained under tutelage of Luke and Matt O’Leary of the Victorian Polo Academy.
The VPC Social Memberships hit 60, with 28 of these also new members.
18 weekends of VPC club polo were played out at Werribee National Equestrian Centre, as well as The Bryce Dicks Memorial Mid Week league. Huge thanks must go to Jackie Woodhead and her team who presented the polo fields and facilities in first class order.
The VPC played host to 4 major tournaments at Werribee including the Stella Artois Melbourne Cup (over 2 weekends), Stella Artois February International and the Stella Artois Polo Challenge.
The season saw visiting teams and players from New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Asia and the USA.
The VPC gained 3 new category exclusive sponsors, welcoming Land Rover, Redken and Reschke.
We welcomed back 4 existing sponsors: Naming rights partner - Stella Artois, and category exclusive partners - Lavazza, Turtle Island and The Age. Thank you all for your continued faith in the club and the sport. A special thanks to Sarah Campbell and the Stella Artois team for their support and investment into Polo. Stella have made a strong commitment to the sport, not just in Victoria, and for that we thank them.
It is important we thank everyone for their continued support including sponsors, players and spectators – your commitment to the sport is the foundation and the reason it continues to grow year after year. We look forward to seeing everyone in the 2010/11 VPC Season.
CHANGES TO THE VPC WEBSITE
The VPC website will be undergoing some changes over the next few months with the official introduction of MYVPC. MYVPC is an interactive polo network that enables you to set up your own MYVPC profile, and get in touch with other MYVPC members. It also provides quick and easy access to all the latest VPC information.
Information that will be readily available through MYVPC will include news updates on the polo community, major tournament information and results, weekly chukka results, photos, classifieds, and tips on playing polo from the experts.
Everyone is welcome to become a member of MYVPC – signing up is quick, easy and FREE.
Please feel free to forward any questions or feedback to us by contacting Katie Byrne via phone (03) 9421 3000 or email kbyrne@elitesports.com.au
The VPC welcomes new category exclusive partners: Reschke, Land Rover and Redken
The Stella Artois Victorian Polo Club (VPC) welcomes Land Rover, Reschke Wines and Redken 5th Ave NYC to the club, as three new exclusive partners for the 2009/10 Season. These partners have and will be recognised across all major Stella Artois VPC tournaments, including the Melbourne Cup, February International and the Stella Artois Polo Challenge, along with the season launch and season closer.
Reschke Wines of the Coonawarra district is a leading vineyard situated in the lower South East of South Australia. Reschke is no stranger to the polo community, playing a major role in the international polo scene as a sponsor of the 2009 Royal Day and Audi Polo Awards held in London UK earlier this year. Burke Reschke, who is a fourth generation Reschke and also Managing Director, sees a great synergy between Reschke and the Victorian polo, and looks forward to a successful season, which will also include the 2010 Stella Artois Portsea Polo on January 9th.
Land Rover also broadens their polo link this year by becoming a category exclusive partner of the entire Victorian Polo Season for 2009/10. Land Rover has enjoyed the success of being recognised as a team sponsor of the Portsea Polo for several years now, and as Victorian polo grows in its entirety from players to crowd numbers, Land Rover has spotted an opportunity to support and be a vital key in its growth.
Redken 5th Ave NYC most recently has signed on as the VPC’s exclusive hair care category partner. Redken 5th Ave NYC will also be on centre stage as a team partner at the 2010 Stella Artois Portsea Polo.
Reschke, Land Rover and Redken 5th Ave NYC will join the VPC’s existing partners, Stella Artois, The Age, Lavazza, and Turtle Island. The VPC thanks all of its’ sponsors for their ongoing support, and looks forward to another hugely successful summer of polo.
Stella Artois and the VPC: Hand in Hand
We are absolutely thrilled to report that our Naming Rights partner Stella Artois has signed on for a further three years. The support of the team at Stella Artois has been integral and we look forward to mutually benefiting from the association and growing the great friendships that were borne out of last season. A huge thankyou to all at Stella Artois for their support.
Kicking off with a bang
The season has already kicked off with a huge bang with both the launch of Victorian polo and the Stella Artois Melbourne Cup under our belts. The Stella Artois Victorian Polo Launch was hosted at St Kilda’s Republica on Friday, October 30, where sponsors, players and social members were all able to celebrate the beginning of the season together.
The Big One
Congratulations to Simon Keyte and his Garangula team who have happily walked away with the 2009 Stella Artois Melbourne Cup and $15,000 in prize money. The Cup is now on its way back to Harden NSW where it will stay for the next 12 months! The Tournament kicked off on Friday 30th October at Werribee Park, and hosted the finals on Sunday 8th November. The Subsidiary final was claimed by Riverpark (12) against Clearview (11), and a nail-biting final saw Garangula claim victory over the VPC 7 goals to 6. For a full list of results and teams see News on the home page, www.victorianpoloclub.com.au
Pubs and Clubs head to head
A slight change to this years polo calendar is the Stella Artois Challenge (formerly the Winemakers Tournament), usually towards the end of November, is this season being held on the 27th February. A terrific day for all will take place with six key Stella Artois venues from around Melbourne going head to head in action packed three match tournament. Last year the likes of Belgian Beer Café, Trunk, Silk Road and the Grand Hotel amongst others fought out three epic battles.
America en route to the VPC
After a break for Christmas and of course the Stella Artois Portsea Polo tournament on January 9th (see www.portseapolo.com.au for details), we travel back to the doorstep of the Mansion in Aerobe for the Stella Artois February International. This year we host the American team in a 16 goal blockbuster – further news releases will follow here on the website.
Don’t miss out on your tickets!
Tickets and hospitality packages are now available for all VPC tournaments from Focal Promotions (see Ticketing) At just $25 per ticket for a day full of action, you can’t beat a day at the polo!
Classifieds online now!
Do you have anything you wish to buy or sell polo wise? The VPC Classifieds is the place to do it. Classifieds are moving to the MYVPC become a member today.
Stella Artois and Polo: Hand in Hand
Season 2008/09 saw the Victorian Polo Club welcome a new Naming Rights Partner via the Fosters Group in Stella Artois, the leading imported beer brand in Australia. The support of Stella Artois has assisted greatly in polo reaching the broader audience.
With a rich history dating back centuries like the sport of polo itself, Stella Artois has enjoyed involvement with a sport
very much on the rise as reflected in the recent record attendances and coverage of the Werribee Park based Victorian Polo Club events, and Portsea.
Stella Artois Brand Manager, Sarah Campbell, said the brand is absolutely thrilled to be involved with the sport
during this phase of it’s growth.
“Stella Artois has been proud to be associated with Polo in Australia this past season. Stella Artois will build its association with Polo in the coming seasons, supporting the flourishing
sport in Australia,” said Campbell.
The support of Stella Artois has contributed greatly to the social aspect of polo and will do so in New South Wales in the near future as well, with a genuine mutual interest in growing the sport throughout the country.
The emerging ‘new’ polo audience of the young, enthusiastic men and women looking for a relaxed alternative to the more conventional Spring and Summer events such as horseracing and tennis have enjoyed the fantastic hospitality at the polo this summer, which has become a genuine place to be.
“At a fantastic series of events, spectators have enjoyed world-class games on some brilliant summer days. The Polo has been a run of great social days as well, perfectly suited to a few ice-cold Stella Artois!” said Campbell.
Both the Victorian Polo Club and Stella Artois look forward to a longstanding relationship which will kick off once again in November this year with the Stella Artois Melbourne Cup Polo Tournament at Werribee Park. For brands wishing to enjoy the success that polo brings in Australia, check out www.victorianpoloclub.com.au.
