Purple Club

Purple Club Goes to the Polo: A Day of World Class Sport in the Heart of London

Sourcing City hosted Purple Club members at Chestertons Polo in the Park on Friday 5th June, an exclusive day of international polo, great food, and even better company at Hurlingham Park, Fulham.

There are worse ways to spend a Friday than pitchside at the world’s biggest three day polo event, and our Purple Club members would be the first to agree. On Friday 5th June, Sourcing City’s Jason Grenham, Liz Newton and Katie Norton hosted a group of Purple Club members and guests at Chestertons Polo in the Park, the annual festival of fast paced polo that transforms Hurlingham Park in Fulham into one of the standout occasions of the London summer season. Every Purple Club member company received a complimentary ticket to join us, with gates opening at noon and the first game throwing in at 2:30pm, leaving a very civilised window for lunch and a catch up beforehand.

Now firmly established as a fixture in the capital’s social calendar, the event brings some of the world’s best players to London across a single weekend, with more than 25,000 people passing through the gates. The unique City Polo Series format delivers a shorter, faster version of one of the oldest equestrian sports, which makes the action easy to follow whether you are a seasoned polo watcher or, like most of our party, an enthusiastic first timer with a drink in hand.

And the polo itself did not disappoint. Friday is International Day at Hurlingham Park, with national sides going head to head just metres from the boards, and our group enjoyed a front row view of the speed, skill, and occasional near miss that makes the sport so watchable. The event signage politely advises guests to remain vigilant of flying polo balls. Nobody in our party was harmed in the making of this article.

Between chukkas there was plenty of time to enjoy everything else the event lays on, from the street food of the Fulham Food Festival to the pitchside bars and gardens. Long lunches were had, cans were shared, and the conversation flowed as easily as the refreshments. It is exactly the kind of relaxed setting where the best industry conversations happen, and a reminder that this business has always been built on relationships as much as products.

We should also note, with some satisfaction, that the entire event is branded head to toe in purple. We can only assume the organisers knew who was coming.

A huge thank you to all the Purple Club members and guests who joined us and made the day such a success. Purple Club is Sourcing City’s way of saying thank you to our most engaged distributor and supplier partners, with exclusive events, insight, and opportunities throughout the year. If you would like to know more about Purple Club membership, contact the Sourcing City team.