Sotogrande is renowned for its Polo, and when the season’s in full swing, it’s the place in Spain to be.
So much so that the likes of British royal princes William and Harry have been spotted at the Santa María Polo Club, Spain’s royals also holiday in the Cádiz resort during the famous ‘Sotogrande season’.
And now Santa María, already listed in the world’s top five polo clubs, has been given the green light to expand their facilities further.
A luxury holiday and residential complex will be constructed within the grounds, while a state-of-the-art clubhouse, a sponsors’ pavilion and the five-star Hotel del Polo Gran Lujo are also on the cards.
Just over €1 billion is to be invested into making Santa María Polo Club a serious alternative to the current number one elite club, Palm Beach in Florida, USA.
Additionally there will be a showground worthy of the highest level of dressage and show jumping, as well as facilities for national and international teams adding yet another dimension to the club.
But the road up to this point has not been entirely smooth, with Glenton – the company which owns the land – having to negotiate for many months with the Junta de Andalucía over the planned development. Thankfully now an agreement has been made with San Roque Town Hall and the Junta and this comes as music to the ears of polo fans across the world.
If that wasn’t enough, the complex will also create an estimated 5,000 new jobs, most of which permanent.
The future is certainly looking bright for equine sport in Cádiz and Andalucía as a whole, with Sotogrande’s annual International Summer Tournament now one of the region’s most popular tourist attractions.
Riders come from all around to battle it out for Gold, Silver and Bronze cups, watched by combined crowds of up to 50,000 spectators. Introduced in 1971, the event is part of the World Polo Tour and is ranked among the top three.
But that’s not the best part, the 2015 season started this Easter weekend and it’s also completely free to attend the polo matches, with more than enough bars and restaurants on-site and in Sotogrande’s port to unwind in after a long, hot day watching the sport of kings.
To view a great video by Santa Maria Polo Club, copy and paste the following link into your browser: http://bit.ly/1CXQBMr
By Jackie Cruz - Manifesto ·