Engel & Völkers, a leading Polo player in France!
Paris, July 5th 2022, Here comes the new French polo season! Punctuated by prestigious highlights, this season will see a succession of renowned tournaments on the most beautiful grounds in France. This is the opportunity for Engel & Völkers to further strengthen its role as a key player on the French polo scene thanks to a sponsoring strategy reinforced each year.
Did you know? Polo is the oldest team sport, once played by the royal guard. Times may have changed, but the spirit has not: the sport has retained all the nobility of its origins. The fourth largest polo nation in the world, and the second largest in Europe in terms of the number of licensed players, France is one of the most beautiful theaters for this sport, which brings together a community of enthusiasts, professionals and amateurs of all ages, who share the same taste for competition, the love of the equestrian world and of nature sports.
It is sometimes portrayed as elitist, but polo is above all a big family of men and women, who are seduced by the atmosphere of this sport which has that "je ne sais quoi" that others do not have: accents from across the Atlantic, which nourishes a connivance with Argentina, which is also punctuated during the summer by the tournaments of the alta temporada.
Engel & Völkers, number one sponsor of polo in France
During the European summer, the "blancos y celestes" players join the French fields to compete in the prestigious tournaments that take place in the French latitudes. Excellence, passion, a taste for challenge, and many other notions weave a communion of values that almost naturally unites the leader in prestige real estate in Europe and the sport. Engel & Völkers has its own school, the Engel & Völkers Polo School, and organizes the Engel & Völkers Polo Cup in Mallorca every year. But the group's commitment to promoting the visibility and practice of polo goes further.
It consists in particular of a sponsorship strategy renewed each year with the greatest players on the French fields.
A high-flying 2022 season
The season will be launched this year on the shores of the Mediterranean, at the Saint-Tropez Polo Club, on the heights of Gassin to be exact: a setting of 100 hectares of land and sea where the Engel & Völkers International Polo Cup will be held from July 7 to 17, 2022, with the real estate group as title partner.
The Barrière Deauville Polo Cup will then take place on the Côte Fleurie, in Deauville, one of the world's leading polo venues. From August 6 to 28, the greatest French and international players will compete for the Gold Cup. Engel & Völkers, a partner of the Deauville Polo Club, will be in the front row to accompany the event. Only a few days of respite and mallets, mounts and players will meet again to conclude the Triple Crown in apotheosis in the state forests of Chantilly. On the grounds of the Ferme d'Apremont. Here, on the superb infrastructures of the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly, exciting matches will be played from September 2 to 18 for the Engel & Völkers French Open. A prestigious trophy coveted by the world's greatest talents.
These competitions will be as many convivial meetings, great parties around sport and a certain art of living.
A historical passion for polo
The brand's historical connection to the sport is first and foremost carried by its founder, Christian Völkers, who has been playing polo and is passionate about it for over 30 years. He also created the Engel & Völkers Polo Cup, which takes place in Mallorca every year. The island offers an ideal setting for an exciting tournament in which many international players participate. Engel & Völkers also sponsors clubs and competitions all over the world.
As a symbol of the company's strong involvement in the sport, it has also established the "Engel & Völkers Polo School", which aims to raise awareness of the sport, train future prodigies and provide support for professional players. Its sports director Christopher Kirsch is also a player of the German national team.
Polo and Engel & Völkers, common values
Engel & Völkers is committed to increasing the visibility of polo in France and encouraging people to discover this spectacular sport with which it shares common values: team spirit, elegance, high standards, passion and excellence.
Engel & Völkers supports the professionalization and development of polo
France is the second European country in terms of number of professional players after England and before Germany. The company wants to contribute to the development of this sport in France and to increase the number of players.
Engel & Völkers France's commitment to the sport of polo starts with partnerships with the three largest French polo clubs: the Saint-Tropez Polo Club, the Chantilly Polo Club and the International Polo Club of Deauville.
The brand has been sponsoring the most important competitions since 2017 and has created partnerships with major players in polo such as Jean Edouard Mazery, Philippe Perrier, Benoit Perrier or Alexandre Carré.
"Sponsorship gives visibility to polo. We all want it to be more publicized and more accessible. We need sponsorship because a sport can only live on patronage (which is currently the case). Sponsorship allows to attract media, to create polo schools and to make the youngest progress. This is expensive and complicated but feasible. In other countries (notably the United Kingdom) the English federation invests a lot thanks to sponsoring. This is unfortunately not yet the case in France, because of the number of sponsors, although we have the potential to compete with the biggest countries" says Patrick Paillol, semi-professional player of the French team.
Follow Engel & Völkers France on Instagram and Facebook to follow the next polo competitions the company will be partnering with!