Nacho Figueras Continues His Push To Popularize Polo

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Nacho Figueras appeared in the New York Times recently, once again using his draw as a Ralph Lauren model to publicize the sport of polo. This isn’t the type of article you’d usually expect to see on PoloGringo, I know, so I’ll keep it short. But I wanted to write briefly about this latest article to highlight the effort Mr. Figueras is putting into popularizing the sport.  I haven’t seen an article featuring him yet, or a television spot for that matter, where he doesn’t take some time to share the spotlight with polo and I think many of us who enjoy the sport could take a lesson from him.

In the current economic climate, polo is having a tough time. I know membership is down in many clubs, in some cases way down. It’s time to make an effort to recruit new players and spectators rather than sitting back and saying, “If they’re interested in polo, they’ll find us.” I’d like to encourage anyone reading this site to take a few minutes every week and recruit some spectators for your club’s next home game — be that this weekend, or next, or the one after that. Knowing someone who’s playing can make polo seem much more accessible to people who may not have otherwise given the sport a second thought. Everyone knows the English princes play polo, but compartively few realize that “regular” people play as well. But it’s these “regular” people who keep the sport alive. We need as many as we can get!

So please, try to set aside 30 minutes a week to drum up spectators for your next home game. Friends, family, coworkers, or random people you meet on the street. Print up some club fliers with the next game time and pass them out. Polo is free family entertainment at a time when disposable income is at a low. It’s a great time to recruit some new enthusiasts!

Click here to read Nacho’s article in the NYTimes