The Rothesay County Championship returned to the Kia Oval on Friday 10 April with Surrey taking on Leicestershire and there was an increase in people using the ground to work after the Club launched a new ‘Work From Oval’ initiative.
There were over 100 workers who took advantage of the opportunity over the four days of the fixture with Members using the top class facilities in the Pavilion, whilst general admission ticket purchasers were able to take in the panoramic views on the West Indies and Westminster terraces.
Surrey have seen significant growth in attendances at the County Championship format in recent years and this is the latest attempt to try and continue to increase the number of people who come along to watch the red ball game in south London.
2025 saw more than 84,000 spectators come along to the Kia Oval to watch Rory Burns’ side, this is nearly treble the numbers in 2019. The Club is hoping to surpass that number this year and set another 21st Century record for the ground.
Over the winter, the venue upgraded to superfast WiFi 7 and is encouraging fans to use the facilities at the ground whilst taking in the cricket action on the pitch.
Surrey CEO, Steve Elworthy said “We’re determined to continue to grow the audience for the Rothesay County Championship and the team have been working on ways to try and encourage more people to come through the gates this year.
“We know that many fans treat the Kia Oval as their second home and have been using the ground to ‘Work From Oval’ for many years and we wanted to encourage others to come along as well.”
The initiative will be running through all Surrey men’s and women’s games that take place during the working week hours this summer.
