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He told McKenney, “Protecting you today was something I couldn’t do for him.”

In that moment, McKenney experienced the GPL’s mission coming to fruition.

“Awareness stimulates discussion, discussion generates understanding, and understanding is the foundation and cornerstone of inclusion and equity,” he said.

The league’s efforts to advance inclusivity grew when the tournament became a nonprofit charitable organization in 2016.

GPL is dedicated to producing high-end polo events and experiences around the globe.

We have a joie-de-vivre, a lighthearted enjoyment of our sport and community – yet we’re dead serious when it comes to competition and making a difference!

We invite you to join us!

GPL Polo Club is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

GPL Polo International focuses on creating and producing elevated polo experiences around the globe.  Every GPL Polo International event balance sport and social activities to ensure all who attend experience a powerful sense of fun, excitement, and uniqueness.  Our events celebrate the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.  And, we promise you an experience you will think about for months after it is over.

RECENT GPL EXPERIENCE

JULY 16 - 19, 2025
Polo Club Domain De Chantilly

At The GPL, It’s All About The Mission

By Jennifer Martinez

When Chip McKenney reflects on why he founded the Gay Polo League (GPL), memories of exclusion and isolation come rushing forward.

“I felt like I was the only gay athlete in the world,” said McKenney, the league’s founder and president.

The following two years, GPL chose SAGE, a national advocacy organization that looks out for LGBTQ+ elders who face financial hardship, challenges in finding care facilities that will accept them, and other, often unseen, barriers.

This year and last, GPL chose the onePULSE Foundation, established in the aftermath of the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre, to honor the legacies of the 49 people killed.

And of course – wear your finest WIG! This year, the GPL's Charity partner is the Elton John AIDS Foundation - Join us for a fabulous evening to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation!

Saturday, April 6 - GPL Tournament Finals

16 LGBTQ+ polo players, from around the world, will compete in this year's Lexus International Gay Polo Tournament – Presented by Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

“We believe there is power and great value in allies playing on our teams and supporting our events.”

He sees it all as part of the GPL’s mission, which is “to inspire and empower those individuals who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender via the promotion of and participation in the sport of polo.”

As the league grew, it wasn’t long before McKenney set his sights on Wellington, bringing the first International Gay Polo Tournament to the village in 2010.

“There was pressure then, that still exists today, to keep quiet if someone is gay and athletic.

gay polo league

We’re a community that shares a love for adventure, fun, and the beautiful, challenging sport of polo.

The Gay Polo League (GPL) is the only LGBTQ+ polo organization in the world. “It also gives us an opportunity to give back to the LGBTQ+ community.”

It’s a needle that McKenney will never stop moving. He shared the story of his close cousin, a Vietnam veteran, who disappeared to San Francisco after the war.

Revelry includes music, dancing, open bar, delectable hors’ d'oeuvres, and entertainment! Since then, the league has chosen an LGBTQ+ charity as the beneficiary of each Wellington tournament, creating awareness of the isolation and exclusion that has hurt gay people of every age.

The first year, the tournament donated funds to the Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center in Lake Worth to support its youth center and homeless youth outreach.

The guard never heard from his cousin again, learning later that he was gay and died of AIDS. PURCHASE VIP TABLES FOR 8 OR INDIVIDUAL TICKETS, TAILGATES, GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS AND PARKING PASSES.

Our ongoing goal is to raise money at our flagship event, the International Gay Polo Tournament, to help LGBTQ+ organizations better serve our communities.  Our battle cry is “the slightest difference makes all the difference”.

2025:  GPL raised $50,211 to benefit Elton John Aids Foundation.

https://www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org

2024: GPL raised $10,000 to benefit LLS Visionaries of the Year Polo Tournament.

www.llsvisionaries.org

2024:  GPL raised $111,120 to benefit Elton John Aids Foundation.

www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org

2023:  GPL raised $72,000 to benefit onePulse Foundation.

www.onepulsefoundation.org

2022:  GPL raised $135,000 to benefit onePulse Foundation.

www.onepulsefoundation.org

2020:  GPL raised $20,000.00 to benefit SAGE.

www.sageusa.org

2019:  GPL raised $5,000.00 to benefit SAGE, a national advocacy organization for LGBT Elders. 

www.sageusa.org

2018:  GPL raised $4,700.00 to benefit Compass Youth Program for new computers and health kits for homeless youth.

www.compassglcc.com

As a former show jumper, he saw polo as a way to bring the LGBTQ+ community together for sport and fun.

We strongly advocate and advance the value of diversity and inclusion in every event we produce.

GPL is changing perceptions in the LGBTQ community, athletics and society at large one chukker at a time. He saw the power of GPL just as that first tournament concluded.

As McKenney left the stage at the end of the trophy presentation, a security guard approached.

He launched GPL in Los Angeles in 2006 by inviting gay athletes and allies to a monthly tournament at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. I felt team sports were not a safe place for me, so I avoided them.”

Polo became the vehicle for McKenney to create belonging. His vision is for the tournament is to become a “massively successful $1 million fundraising event.”

“It can be done,” he said with the conviction of a polo player who sees nothing but an open field ahead.

Learn more about the onePULSE Foundation, this year’s beneficiary, at www.onepulsefoundation.org.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR MAKING GPL 2024 OUR BEST EVENT EVER

Wednesday, April 3 - Polo Players Reception by Invitation.

Thursday, April 4 - VIP Sponsor’s Reception by Invitation

Friday, April 5 - Polotini Charity Party to benefit Elton John AIDS Foundation

Experience a hair-raising extravaganza!

Beyond the joyful camaraderie of the matches, he saw the greater impact that GPL was making.

“We have an opportunity to model athletes who are LGBTQ+ in a way that shows younger people that you can be a gay person, you can participate in a team sport, and you can do both authentically and openly,” McKenney said.

McKenney also sees the Gay Polo League’s broader role in uniting all on the field.

“We are a gay-identified organization.

The four pillars of the charity’s mission are to create and support a memorial, a museum, educational programs and scholarships for students who share the same ambitions as the victims.

McKenney credits Barbara Poma, owner of the Pulse nightclub and founder of onePULSE, for inspiring an exponential increase in giving — from $20,000 in 2020 to $135,000 in 2022 — through sharing her moving story at GPL events.

“OnePULSE is helping us move the needle toward visibility and acceptance,” McKenney said.

CHANTILLY, FRANCE

GPL POLO CLUB

The Gay Polo League (GPL) is the only LGBTQ polo league in the world! 

GPL is committed to providing its members with unique, supportive and competitive experiences around the globe.

However, we are inclusive, not exclusive,” he said.