CHAIRMAN' S FOREWORD
A VERY WARM WELCOME BACK TO GUARDS POLO CLUB
BRIAN S TEIN, CHAIRMAN
partnership. Laurent-Perrier Champagne, Mosimann’s and Martin Collins have also renewed their association with Guards Polo Club, ensuring we can continue to deliver excellence for all of our members and their guests. Earlier this year we held a successful
GUARDS POLO CLUB was privileged to have the wise counsel of our Founder and President, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, for some 66 years. His Royal Highness’s support to both me and my predecessors was invaluable, and he will be much missed by many in the polo community. I wrote on behalf of all the members of Guards Polo Club to Her Majesty expressing our deepest condolences and your Board of Directors is now looking at how best to create a permanent tribute to our President. We are fortunate that polo continues
to be of significance to the Royal Family and over the last few months I have been in communication with The Prince of Wales’s office with regard to our new high-goal tournament. Much to the Club’s delight His Royal Highness has offered his personal support for this new 22-goal competition and suggested that we name it The Prince of Wales’s Championship Cup. This tournament, which the Prince of Wales himself recognises as an “important development” at Guards Polo Club, will be played from 1 – 22 August. Creating opportunities for players has
allowed us to grow our playing membership. We welcomed 17 new Home Elected Players (HEPS) to the Club since the start of the 2020 season and incredibly eight of these are under 21. We also have 17 military players, the
18
highest number since 2000, our first year as a civilian club. We saw strong entries across all
tournaments last season and I understand from Antony Fanshawe, Director of Polo, that we are expecting healthy team entries again this year. So huge thanks to all the HEPs for their steadfast support of the Club at one of the most difficult times in our history. Our Social Members deserve equal thanks for generously supporting the Club through the Covid-19 pandemic by paying their 2020 subscriptions. Such financial support has enabled Guards Polo Club to come out of the pandemic in a stronger position than originally expected. We also received staunch support
from our many sponsors and partners. Both Cartier and Out-Sourcing Inc. extended their generous tournament sponsorships to 2024, while Clé de Peau Beauté joins our sponsorship stable as the main supporter of the Guards Ladies Charity High-Goal Tournament. La Martina remains our official clothing and kit provider as well as maintaining its sponsorship of the Varsity Day. Hildon retains the title sponsorship of the competitive Archie David Cup tournament and although Access Bank cannot host its magnificent polo day due to international travel restrictions, they have generously renewed their corporate
GUARDS POLO CLUB OFFICIAL YEARBOOK 2021
Extra Ordinary General Meeting, asking the full membership to vote on some key changes to our constitution, including updating our Articles of Association. The result is a smaller, more dynamic Board that better reflects the ever-changing aspects of the sport going forward. The changes also ensure a shorter tenure for all directors, delivering greater fluidity across all membership categories. Incredibly we saw the highest level of engagement ever seen at a Club AGM or EGM, delivering a clear mandate for the Board to follow. I would also like to express my personal
thanks to Clive Reid. As mentioned in more detail on page 46, Clive donated £10,000 to be the first person to stick and ball on the improved Princes’ Ground. He then generously doubled his donation so that the charities benefiting from his largesse – Wexham Park Hospital’s Emergency Assessment Centre and Dash, the domestic abuse charity – received £10,000 each. In addition, our Royal Windsor
sponsor, Out-Sourcing Inc. gave the Club 14 high-spec microscopes to donate to charities of our choosing. We split the donation between the education team that manages the schooling of sick children at Wexham Park Hospital and a children’s charity, Dandelion Time, that specialises in working with vulnerable children and families. With polo now underway at the Club
and members booking in with Mosimann’s at Guards there is a feeling of normality returning to the Club. So I look forward to seeing many of you this summer if all restrictions are lifted in June. ◆
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