Guards Polo Club Official Yearbook 2017 Official Yearbook 2017 | Page 70

guards polo academy
Academic Ambitions
Ebe Sievwright, Head Coach at the Guards Polo Academy, reflects on a successful year introducing
the sport to many of the Club’s sponsors, friends and families as well as some big names from
Hollywood and reveals its plans to introduce this great game to a new audience in 2017
A
fter two exciting years
establishing and developing the
Guards Polo Academy (GPA),
Ebe Sievwright and Phil and Suzie
Meadows are now primed for year three,
based as before, at Coworth Park. Last
year exceeded all expectations as the
Academy saw more than four times the
number of new players take classes or
play in practices on our fields, while our
corporate and group activity multiplied
by eight. Thanks to a strong marketing
plan and hard work from the GPA team,
as well as terrific support from the team
in the offices at both Guards Polo
Club and Coworth Park Hotel,
the Academy is now recognised
all over the world, with clients
and companies travelling from
across the globe taking part in
our various experiences.
Not surprisingly, the British
weather presented its usual challenges
at the start of the season. Luckily, we were
impervious to the heavy rain that saw so
much polo cancelled elsewhere due to
some good fortune with our dates, some
brazen students (including the famous
Japanese actress, Ko Shibasaki, who
braved the elements) and our “wonder
stick and ball field” that has year-round
natural drainage. Once the wet spell
was out of the way, the British season
remained kind and the Academy tent saw
a steady flow of beginners and amateurs
from all corners of the world.
We kick-started our group activities
with the first of our Friends and Family
Days for Guards Polo Club. This saw
both social and playing members’ kin
turn up to a couple of fixtures that were
soon sold out. Such was the atmosphere
that the days quickly morphed into
wonderful polo picnics, with Ebe and
Greg guiding newcomers in the skills
needed to take up the game.
Guards Polo Academy specialises in
group events in polo, often catering for
more than 20 people at a time with an
army of immaculately turned-out grooms
70
and horses, as well as
countless wooden horses
and polo mallets, short
and long. Whether at
Smith’s Lawn or in Coworth
Park’s idyllic parkland setting,
attendees are always guaranteed
a spectacular experience. In addition to
the Friends and Family Days, GPA hosted
major international brands such as Tata
for exclusive, tailor-made events – as well
as treating some of the sport’s prestigious
spo nsors, such as Royal Salute and Jaguar
Land Rover, to pre-final “Learn to Play”
experiences on the Coronation Cup and
Duke of Cornwall fixtures respectively.
The latter was an historical event as
the Academy was given unprecedented
permission to use the Club’s number one
field, The Queen’s Ground, to host JLR
and its friends from the media.
The Academy’s coveted bespoke service
was also kept busy. Private clients flew
from America, Thailand, Saudi Arabia,
Zurich and China amongst others. Groups
of more advanced players enjoyed made-
to-measure, intense practice programmes,
while others enjoyed introductory lessons
or the popular weekly refreshers. A
discreet visit from Dianna Agron, star of
America’s hit TV show Glee, was one of
many highlights that characterised the
quality of the GPA client list.
Getting participants to take up polo
from scratch, and then play it regularly,
is always a slow, organic process and one
that requires dedication and patience.
Nevertheless, last year, three players
transformed their lives and become part
of the polo family through the GPA, as
well as numerous students just building
the confidence to fully take the plunge and
commit their spare time as obsessively as
us polo fanatics in this rare community.
After a winter of overseas projects,
Ebe will be bringing both friends and
experience, having commentated, played
and taught in Los Angeles, China,
Singapore, India, Indonesia, Mexico
and the Dominican Republic. Closer to
home, the Academy continued to nurture
players at home – sharpening their skills
with practice in the arena. This season,
our focus will again be on maintaining
our peerless combination of hospitality
and training, as well as fostering the
relationships that we have been building
so assiduously. Plans are also already
underway for two further Friends and
Family introduction days.
So, a warm welcome back to all our
clients from their diverse worlds to the
tranquil polo lawns of Windsor Great Park
and Coworth Park.
For more information or to book your
Academy lesson please email ebe@
guardspoloacademy.com or call the team
on O1784 434212
guards polo club official yearbook 2017