U.S. Polo Assn. discusses the role of female empowerment woven into its multi-billion-dollar brand, and why polo is a “sport of equals.”

Gender equality is a hot button issue – but not in the sport of polo. For an ancient sport over 2,600 years old, the United States Polo Association (USPA) and its global lifestyle apparel and accessories brand, U.S. Polo Assn., jointly promote a modern outlook on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Since the brand’s founding in 1981, its reach has extended far beyond the sport of polo to become a major force in retail. In 2018, U.S. Polo Assn. reached $1.7 billion in global sales, much of which is due to rapid and strategic international business expansion in India, China, Russia and regional growth throughout Eastern Europe and the Middle East, according to J. Michael Prince, president and chief executive officer of USPA Global Licensing Inc., the exclusive worldwide licensor for U.S. Polo Assn. “The brand has expanded into 90 percent of the world’s countries this year.” This comes on the heels of its new global website launch, uspoloassnglobal.com, which will be accessible in approximately 100 countries and in at least 15 different languages representing different parts of the world over the next 24 months. To date, U.S. Polo Assn. has more than 1,100 brick- and-mortar stores located worldwide.

Headquartered in West Palm Beach, U.S. Polo Assn. is managed by USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL), a for profit corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the nonprofit national governing body for the sport of the USPA, which in turn funds the sport and its various initiatives for the organization and marketing of polo, support of polo players, training and education of young athletes, and its ambition to make the sport more accessible to future generations – and, of course, genders.

Historically, women fought for equality in polo, and successfully joined the governing body of the sport in the late seventies. As a truly co-ed sport, women and men play on the field together – and that means both sexes are held to the same standards in each and every match. Ashley Busch, polo player and U.S. Polo Assn.’s first female brand ambassador, said she fell in love with the sport while growing up in Virginia’s horse country. “The second I tried polo when I was 11, I became addicted to it,” Busch told WWD. “Polo is really family-oriented and one of the only sports where you can have your dad on the field, your kids, your spouse, your whole family can be out there playing. It’s also one of the only sports that when we get out on the field we are all equal. For men, women, it doesn’t matter what your goal or rating is, you get out there on the field, and play as equals.”

Busch emphasized that the female side of polo is growing very rapidly, especially over the past few years. To date, almost 40 percent of polo players in the U.S. are female. “It’s surprising in and of itself, since most of the time people associate polo or rough sports with men, but I think it’s empowering. You can be the only girl on the field with a bunch of men and you’re expected to be as tough, play as well and move as fast,” she explained.

And so, the brand’s strikingly bold, colorful design and merchandising strategies aim to attract just that: the female consumer seeking genuine empowerment from the polo lifestyle. Cliff Lelonek, president and chief executive officer of JRA Trademark, U.S. Polo Assn.’s North America licensee, told WWD, “Our female consumer is athletic and vibrant. She loves our brand because it’s colorful, comfortable and has a great fit.” Lelonek explained, “We make a wide variety of sportswear, activewear, and things that fit her lifestyle. The brand is well-known for its Americana, traditional aesthetic. Within our retail and department stores throughout the country, we are aspirational in our style and authenticity.”

That’s why USPAGL partnered with the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council to sponsor a television and digital show that aired this past September called “Women in Polo: The Palm Beaches,” a 30-minute feature focused on six female polo players spanning various ages and backgrounds. Its debut coincided with the introduction of USPAGL’s Women’s Initiative. “Inspiring Others” is a year-long campaign that celebrates female polo players, which launched on Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote. Busch told WWD, “I think the program and the campaign are really special because they promote women’s empowerment but also opens people’s eyes, not only to the sport of polo but that women play, and play well.”

And U.S. Polo Assn.’s “Live Authentically” maxim rings true, as its campaigns tout a genuine connection to the sport of polo due to the authenticity of its brand products that are officially sanctioned by the USPA. “The brand campaigns really did allow me to live authentically,” Busch said. “Not only could I participate in the sport that I loved so much, but I could represent a brand that was behind the sport of polo as a whole. The USPA was established over 125 years ago, and since the 1980’s, U.S. Polo Assn. has established itself as a major retail power. In this case, the sport goes hand-in-hand with the apparel brand, and it’s one of the only brands you can wear on the field and off.”

Here, Prince discusses how its initiatives and campaigns promote female empowerment and authenticity in the sport, and its plans to continue driving the gender equality conversation forward.

WWD Studios: Polo is a sport of equals. How would you describe the importance and dynamics of gender equality in the sport? How does it impact the brand?

JMP: Women are the fastest growing segment of players in the sport. Our goal is to represent women as a whole and show audiences and consumers that polo is a co-ed sport.  Many high-profile polo clubs around the globe - England, Thailand, Argentina, India, Dubai and the U.S., for example - are developing and growing their top women’s events. This strategy actually helps foster the awareness of polo as an inclusive, approachable sport similar to the values of our sport-inspired brand. Female athletes have been gathering momentum around the globe, and now it’s time for the world’s top female polo players to shine.

WWD Studios: Female empowerment has become a central focus of late. In what ways has U.S. Polo Assn. driven awareness to women’s ongoing contributions to the sport and the brand?

JMP: When I joined the organization, I saw new opportunities with big potential. The Women’s Initiative is one of the strategies that was born out of the desire to focus on the needs of our female customers. Overall, we are proud to have it shine a light on talented women polo players through print and broadcast media initiatives, product development in the apparel space and sponsorship of women’s organizations.

The initiative is a year-long program designed to put a spotlight on women in polo, and women as our apparel customer. We built a task force of experts from each corner of the business-brand, design, sports marketing, brand marketing - and took a unified approach. One of our efforts was to launch the first ever Women in Polo Show - distributed nationally to more than 60 million households through broadcast and online distribution. It profiled six female athletes, including Ashley Busch and the late Sunny Hale,who are making a difference or who are trailblazers. The core message of the show was that top female players train just as hard as their male counterparts and can be fierce on and off the field. You can find this campaign through our hashtag #USPAinspire.

We have partnered with women’s polo events as well, to bring awareness to the convergence of the sport and the brand for women. For example, the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Champion- ship, the Women’s East Coast Open and Thailand’s Queen’s Cup Pink Polo, as well as partnering with the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Our Collegiate Initiative is also supportive of young women polo players. This is our second year outfitting the women and men at some of the top collegiate polo clubs in the country. This year’s program has grown to our outfitting more than 30 collegiate polo clubs where we provide white pants, polo shirts and a financial donation to each program.

In addition to our external focus on inspirational women, we have also looked internally at the U.S. and global women’s business and have made efforts to enhance our women’s line with more on trend and sport inspired looks, capsule collections, as well as better fit and quality.

WWD Studios: How does U.S. Polo Assn. leverage its social media presence to promote and support its female influencers? Would you elaborate on the brand’s “Inspiring Others” campaign?

JMP: Today we have more than 5 million followers on social media globally. Partnering with influencers has become increasingly important for our digital marketing strategy. This strategy has taken on a few iterations since 2017, from partnering with polo players as Global Brand Ambassadors such as Ashley Busch, who demonstrate our authenticity via in-depth perspective of their training, polo games, and overall daily life, to more relatable and approachable influencers like a chef, a bartender and a beauty guru. Each provides a unique perspective of the U.S. Polo Assn. brand when creating content, and adds brand awareness to share with their followers. Our influencers, as part of our “Inspire Others” campaign, come from different backgrounds and live in cities around the world, which drives the authenticity factor.

WWD Studios: U.S. Polo Assn.’s “High Goal” energy stores feature technology that enhances the in-store experience for women. Would you describe what that experience entails?

JMP: High-goal polo is a high energy game featuring the best of the best, with elite players, the best horses and the most lush and accommodating fields. We believe bringing this same type of excitement and energy to our “High Goal” store will not only attract but engage customers by offering them a more authentic and interesting shop- ping experience through the impact of technology, amazing product, personal service and the sport of polo in a hands- on brick-and-mortar environment. We know both women and men will be more engaged in the experience with this new model.

As we test and learn about the consumer experience in our new concept, we will roll out a phased approach. Phase I is all about fun, action and engagement for women and men. Phase II is more about leveraging technology for the speed and convenience many women want.

WWD Studios: What’s next for U.S. Polo Assn.?

JMP: We are excited to expand beyond our inaugural year of Gauntlet of PoloTM which features female players and patrons, and offers the largest purse in all of polo at $1 million. It’s a three-tournament series that begins in January at the start of polo season, builds up to the final winner, and is the pinnacle of polo championships. U.S. Polo Assn. sponsors the games and outfits the players. We are proud to sponsor such an exciting and meaningful series in partnership with the USPA as they look to broaden participation and viewership of this magnificent and historic sport. In 2019, we had more than 4 million viewers worldwide watch the tournament finals!

We expect to expand on the Women’s Initiative Campaign and the Collegiate Program. Additionally, we are looking to round out our global ambassador program with a few new and diverse players to offer a more approachable perspective, and to help bring the essence of the sport alive within our social media and global photo shoot programs.

And despite a challenging retail environment for some, we continue to focus on aggressive brick and mortar store expansion. In fact, we are on track to have another 100 stores by the close of 2020, hitting the 1,200 store mark. We also remain laser focused on our digital strategy with expansion of our new global brand site, uspoloassnglobal.com. with a worldwide rollout that began with the UK and will follow with Italy, Japan and Latin America. Targeting some 100 countries, this is one of our most ambitious undertakings toward digital transformation of our brand.