The Ibiza Polo Club shining gem amongst polo players and polo lovers
Ibiza is well known as a glamorous travel destination for people and celebrities from all over the world. However, it’s not just the beaches, the bars, the restaurants and the clubs that are attracting the masses. IBIZA POLO CLUB is the meeting point of all international polo players. The polo club in Ibiza was founded 7 years ago and it is now one of the most vibrant, lively and popular polo clubs in Europe.
For several years now, Ibiza has gained a shining reputation amongst polo players and polo lovers. Ibiza and polo are without any doubt the perfect combination of sport and an elegant lifestyle. The island gives the opportunity to play polo almost all year round and offers the visitor so much more than polo, pristine beaches, nature, ocean sports, amazing food and wine and the best music and parties on the planet.
In the heart of Ibiza you will find IBIZA POLO CLUB, which is the only Royal Spanish Federation’s delegate in the Balearics and the first polo club in the region where you can play the sport of kings. The club opened in 2011 and today it is one of the most unique places in the world to play. It is situated in the heart of Ibiza, just 15 minutes from the Old Town, Marina and Port in San Lorenzo which belongs to the town hall of San Joan de Labritja. The atmosphere on this part of the island is amazing. You are surrounded by nature with it’s famous Ibizan almond, orange and lemon trees orchards, the main factor that attracted so many great restaurants and boutique hotels to establish in this part of the island.
From the very beginning, Gabriel Iglesias the founder and owner of the club has been the driving force behind polo in Ibiza. In July 2010, when the 1st Ibiza Beach Polo Cup was launched, he brought together the highest handicap players from all over the world. In the following years, the world’s best player, Adolfo Cambiaso, visited twice, and he also inaugurated the outdoor arena of the IBIZA POLO CLUB while participating in the 3rd Ibiza Beach Polo Cup.
What makes the IBIZA POLO CLUB so special? For starters, it is the only facility to play polo on the Balearic island. Even more unique is the fact that it is the place where all polo players of all levels are welcome and they have that home feeling when they are visiting the club. For beginners, the Club is ideal to start polo in a relaxed, fun, and comfortable way. Children, teenagers and adults are introduced to the sport with the care and guidance of the highly professional teachers. For the more experienced player, the Club allows chukkas to be played in a friendly atmosphere or players can participate in one of the regular tournaments. Finally, for professionals, Ibiza is the ideal spot to take a break and release the tension of the European tournaments while still keeping fit and fine tuned. While in Ibiza, players can enjoy a relaxed game and then wind down at a beach bar afterwards. This is why IBIZA POLO CLUB attracts some of the best players in the world. It’s a magical place; a place where tournaments are held in the club almost every week during the summer season, and these tournaments were created especially for the fans, passionately in love with polo.
The Ibiza Polo Club is famous for its hospitality parties – and what is Ibiza without parties? Gabriel and his beautiful wife, Eva arrange fun to the fullest and always find new places: beautiful restaurants, rooftop parties by the sea, the famous Argentinian asados (barbeque). The guests and polo friends of the club are warmly welcomed to enjoy the games sitting on couches in the shade of the bar. Watching a polo game as the summer sun is preparing to set down in Ibiza is one of the most exciting views that you can experience. The entire experience can be perfectly described in only a few words: endless fun, laughter and friendship. Plus you might also bump into some celebrities like Gypsy Kings, Paris Hilton, Bjorn Borg, Virginia Da Cunha.
Throughout the years the tournaments have been attended by some of the top personalities in polo, including illustrious names such as the successive presidents of the Royal Spanish Federation of Polo, Nicolás Álvarez and Jaime Espinosa de los Monteros, as well as a selection of famous players such as Nick Roldan, Adolfo Cambiaso, Alejandro Novillo Estrada and Andrea Vianini.
One of the most loved polo tournaments in Ibiza it is the Father and Son Polo Cup. This year will be the third edition. This competition is the perfect opportunity to show that polo is a family activity where tradition is deeply rooted as if the passion for this sport was passes on genetically. At the same time, it is worth pointing out that every year the club organises two dedicated Ladies Polo Cups and one Mixed Polo Cup where every team is formed by two ladies and two men. In recent years the Ladies Polo Cup has become very popular, with players from Singapore, China, England, Germany, France, Andorra, Argentina, Sweden, Peru, Rusia participating. Riding a horse is an excellent sport for women because muscles get toned fast. Polo requires two very feminine qualities which are agility and precision, so women are without a doubt instinctive polo players. The IBIZA POLO CLUB gives special attention to women who are interested in this sport. Therefore, they are all welcome, aspiring or professional, to visit the club, join the polo school and participate in tournaments. Let us also not forget about the famous Ibiza Beach Polo Cup that occurs every year in August, with the 9th year this summer. This is one of the most highly anticipated polo tournaments. Every year more than 8 teams compete in the sand arena and fight for the the cup that just few years ago was won by Adolfo Cambiaso.
This is without doubt quite a young polo club. Although it doesn’t have a long tradition behind it, it does have an amazing amount of energy and willingness to stand out and to offer amazing experiences for its members and visitors. Over the last three seasons the club was very active with a great tournaments agenda, with more than 12 tournaments every year. Not only does the club has offer a great opportunity to the polo players from all over the world to enjoy this field and the great Ibiza atmosphere but also the Ibiza Polo Club Polo Team has traveled the world and connected the Ibiza Polo Club with other major polo clubs from Mexico, Thailand, Dubai, USA, Bangkok, Monte Carlo.
The Club has its horses classified by categories (currently the Club owns 40 horses): special horses for beginners, which are docile and easy to ride and for intermediate level, faster horses are available for experienced riders. Finally there are the top horses which are suitable for the expert polo players.
With all these assets combined, it is no wonder that the most prestigious Polo Schools in the world, such as Cambridge University Polo Club and Oxford University Polo Club travel every year in March to Ibiza Polo Club for a week of polo training in preparation for the UK grass season and some of the most important fixtures including La Martina Varsity Match and the Atlantic Cup. As their captains explained, the teams are very excited to be training in Ibiza, as the UK at this time of year is not known for its bright sunshine and rain free days. The chance to train on grass before the UK season begins is invaluable for the important fixtures at the start of the UK season.
It’s not only the world renown polo schools that are excited to travel to Ibiza to play polo. Ibiza Polo Club School welcomes beginners, including children from 7 years old and up.
IBIZA POLO CLUB offers businesses a fascinating experience to develop strategy and collective team consciousness. It unites colleagues while they learn to play polo as a team, and is more accessible than many people believe. It is exhilarating and provides many individual challenges that develops confidence in ability. Each team has 4 players playing on the grass field or 3 players playing in the sand arena. It’s crucial that each player works together with his colleagues to win. This develops communication and enhances the team mindset. In polo, the talent of each player relies on their teammates developing communication skills. On the field, they have to respond quickly to every situation. The collective strategy is as important as the individual skill of each player. This creates a need and willingness to develop a common solution to problems. The game is an exciting challenge that tests the physical and mental ability of each player. It is a truly unique experience that the team will remember. Safety comes first. Insurance is mandatory for all the players and world-class instructors conduct every lesson. The horses are all highly trained and your teams safety and comfort is their primary concern.
IBIZA POLO CLUB itself offers a whole host of facilities. The Reception is open all week for information about registrations, sponsorship opportunities, polo school, private lessons, tournaments and practices. The club offers excellent facilities, a player’s dressing room, bathrooms, showers and a massage room.
The club boasts 60 stables that are spacious, comfortable and perfectly ventilated. They have automatic watering, and the horses are bedded on a hypo-allergenic natural bedding.
A 300 square meter roofed deck shelters the spectators and VIP guests so they can comfortably enjoy a polo game . There is a fully stocked bar and catering is available on pre-request. The size of the sand arena is 80 x 40 meters. This is the alternative field to the grass field when it rains and it is the ideal place to practice beach polo or fine tune your field techniques.
There are three fenced paddocks, each one of 60 x 60 meters for the horses to relax and graze in. The club also provide smaller paddocks for individual strings and have a sand exercise track of 450 meters to keep the horses fit and ready to play. The Polo Field itself is a 250 x 140 meters, grass field.
The IBIZA POLO CLUB has its own clothing brand which is available at the exclusive club shop. Known as a one-stop shop for all things polo, the shop also stocks an extensive range of polo whites, shirts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, boots, helmets, knee pads and polo goggles. You can also find quality reins, bridles, saddles and other equipment from trusted international suppliers to ensure your equine partner is fully kitted out.
For more information, please visit www.ibizapoloclub.es