Work to Ride’s second Arena Polo Championship returns September 19, with tickets now on sale for a day of matches meant to fund the organization’s next phase of growth. As the only organization bringing polo to Philadelphia, Work to Ride is using the event to celebrate its student-athletes and alumni while raising money for new programming launching this fall.
Kareem Rosser Leads Work to Ride Into a New Chapter
This year’s event carries extra weight as the first Arena Polo Championship under newly appointed Executive Director Kareem Rosser, himself a Work to Ride program alumnus. “The second Arena Polo Championship is going to be pivotal for our organization,” Rosser said, pointing to new programming set to launch this fall.
That expansion builds on Work to Ride’s history since 1994, extending its flagship program into redesigned introductory offerings, after-school initiatives, equine-assisted learning, public riding lessons, summer camps, and planned school and community partnerships.
What Work to Ride Actually Asks of Its Participants
Work to Ride is structured as a genuine long-term commitment rather than a drop-in activity. Youth ages 7 to 18 who join the program commit to at least a year, with most staying through high school graduation; new participants start in the Sunday Program, learning horsemanship and care basics, before graduating to the more demanding Saturday Program, where academic tutoring becomes part of the deal too.
Program participation is contingent on maintaining passing grades, and graduates get help with college enrollment — many return to Chamounix afterward to mentor the next group of participants.
Polo has emerged as what the organization calls the “perennial favorite” among the sports participants can choose from, which gives the Arena Polo Championship a more direct connection to daily program life than a typical benefit event has to its cause. Rosser’s own path through the program became the subject of his memoir, Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever.
Demand for a spot at Chamounix has grown enough that Work to Ride is currently not accepting new applicants — a detail that adds real weight to the fall expansion Rosser is fundraising for.
What to Expect at the Arena Polo Championship
The Arena Polo Championship returns to the McCausland Arena, the largest indoor urban riding arena in the tri-state area, which opened at Chamounix Equestrian Center in summer 2025. Gates open at 11 a.m. for the First Match between Work to Ride program participants and alumni, starting at 11:30 a.m.
Gates close temporarily at 1 p.m. and reopen at 2 p.m. for the Championship Match between Mt. Gordon Farms and Mars Equestrian, which begins at 2:30 p.m.
The event follows last year’s inaugural Arena Polo Championship and continues a pattern of high-profile matches at the venue, including this year’s Buddy Combs International Arena Challenge between the USA and Ecuador.
Beyond the Matches: Food, Music, and the Philly Goat Project
Between matches, guests can find food trucks from Wokworks and The Coffee Club PHL, a pop-up bar from MilkBoy, and pop-up shops from Beyond Bubbles and Gail’s Amazing Cakes. Lawn games, live DJ music, and an interactive experience from the Philly Goat Project round out the day’s programming outside the arena itself.
General admission tickets are $35 per match, available at worktoride.net on a first-come, first-served basis, with early registration encouraged given limited availability.
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