The Oak Brook Polo Club, in Illinois, is closing its 98th season with the prestigious Butler International Cup. The tournament kicked off last Sunday. The final match will take place next Sunday, September 27th. This famous trophy was first played in 1986 between Oak Brook and HRH Prince Charles’s Wales Polo Team in front of a crowd of more than 20,000 people. The trophy was re-established in 2015 and has since been fought for by teams from India, Jamaica, and Great Britain.
Photo by @OAKBrookpolo
The Butler International is being played in 2020 as a 10 to 12-goal tournament. The competition will feature four teams bearing the flags of Germany, Switzerland, Argentina, and the United States. As part of the Chicago Polo Association (Chicago Polo), Oak Brook Polo Club will host tournament games in conjunction with fellow USPA Member Clubs Las Brisas and Arranmore polo clubs.
Photo by @OAKBrookpolo
In response to the interest from international teams wanting to visit Oak Brook, as well as the demand for tournament level competition, the Butler International Cup has transformed into a 12-Goal United States Polo Association (USPA) Nationally Sanctioned tournament. Prior to the 2020 season, the tournament had commitments from teams representing six countries from the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Wales, Switzerland, and Argentina. However, due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and quarantine mandates, players traveling from multiple countries overseas were forced to cancel their participation. So, the teams will sport the flags and shirts of the originally participating countries, with an as large as possible number of their players made up of each nationality or players with familial bonds to these nations. Each ready to make their team — and nation — proud.
Photo by @OAKBrookpolo