About {Sports Club}

It comes as little surprise that one of the returning stars of the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships, Diego Fernando Florez, has quite literally been riding horses since he could walk. Growing up in a rural area of Columbia, he got his start well before age 3.

“There’s the funniest picture from when I was probably 6 months old, with my dad carrying me in his arms on a horse – and I was crying!” Florez says. “I grew up going to ranches, then we moved to a farm and I’d get up every morning and just jump on a horse. It was really calming.”

With this love of animals in mind, Florez followed in the footsteps of his uncle and studied to become a veterinarian. He attended the University of Caldas in Manizales, Columbia, practicing large animal medicine before moving to the U.S. There, he focused on small animals after further education at Purdue University.  In 2001, he fulfilled his dream of owning his own practice when he purchased Scottsdale’s Aztec Animal Hospital.

Over the years, Florez drifted away from his horse-riding roots. But that passion was reignited one fateful day while on vacation in Argentina. Founded in 1999, {Sports Club} has been providing top-notch sports training to children and adults in the community for over 20 years. Our experienced coaches have helped hundreds of athletes achieve their goals and become successful in their respective sports.