Good morning,
After a lengthy winter, the day we have all been waiting for is finally upon us and everyone at the Club is excited to welcome you back for a bumper summer of cricket in south London.
2025 is a momentous year for us as we celebrate 180 years of Surrey County Cricket Club and the Kia Oval by aiming for a fourth consecutive County Championship title, welcoming our first fully professional women’s team, and yet again being the centre of the cricketing world during our international matchdays. It is an honour and a privilege to commemorate this landmark season with you.
Just as it has been an industrious off-season for the playing squads, the Club staff have been working hard around the clock to strengthen the Kia Oval’s position as one of the best cricket grounds in the world. As you walk into the stands for the first time this season, you will see our new LED floodlights, designed in the shape of the traditional three feathers of the Prince of Wales, overlooking the field. Alongside elevating the viewing experience during evening games, these best-in-class floodlights are also a substantial step in our sustainability journey, helping us reduce our energy consumption by around 40%.
Brand new for the 2025 season are also two state-of-the-art changing rooms that will become the base for our men’s and women’s teams moving forward. Offering a roomy and comfortable space for both our professional squads as well as essential facilities for recovery and dining, the changing rooms are modern, tailor-made for performance cricket, and among the very best in world cricket.
As you stroll through the Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion, you will recognise the names of many former and current Surrey players in a stunning new section on the honours board wall. You will also find that the Club Museum has been re-arranged to make it a more inviting space while the Galadari Stand has been re-named SSE Energy Solutions Stand as part of our extended partnership with our partner energy company who like us champion sustainability.
Intending to improve entry into the ground, we are happy to roll out contactless ‘NFC’ Membership Cards for all domestic matchdays based on a successful trial run last summer. This innovative technology will allow you to add your Membership Cards to your phone e-wallet and make your overall experience at the Kia Oval smoother.
Whilst our biggest projects have been completed on schedule, the unprecedented amount of work undertaken throughout the winter means that certain developments around the ground still require some finishing touches. The Lock Balcony is undergoing corrective repair works to address the leak on the roof, as part of the final stage to make the stand watertight, and we’re aiming to get it ready for the Festival of Red Ball Cricket against Essex – we’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. The new big screen will soon be installed on the gasholder side of the ground. The seating in Upper and Lower Bedser stands has been upgraded with padded seats, but due to the reconstruction of the changing rooms, a small section of seats below the players’ staircase is not available for the opening game. If you come in from the Vauxhall End, you may notice that the Alec Stewart Gate is being renovated to give it a stylish new outlook over the next few weeks. This will not impact your entrance into the ground.
For the Vitality Blast, Metro Bank One Day Cup and Hundred fixtures, we have made the decision to open the gates one hour before the start of play to efficiently open the stadium and manage crowd flow. Our Ticket Office will open two hours ahead of the start of play to assist any ticket queries. The Rothesay County Championship will continue to be one hour ahead of the start of play as in previous years. For white-ball fixtures, Members will also have a new dedicated route to enter the ground via the Club Shop next to the John Edrich Gate. An additional shop near the Alec Stewart Gate will shortly open too. For international fixtures, T20 and The Hundred, bag searches will take place outside the gates to boost security in and around the venue as well as aiming to speed up access into the venue.
After a successful trial run in the Members’ areas last summer, we will be serving our cheapest beer – 40p less than our standard price – at various bars around the ground. Many of our mid-tier beers remain at the same price as last season, however, due to the rising living costs in London, we have had to increase the cost of our premium beers by 40p. If you are looking for lower or non-alcoholic options in the summer, you will find that a new 2.8% ABV lager and a 0% ABV beer have been added to our beverage menu with our partner Heineken.
This year, we will be continuing to serve alcoholic drinks in fully recyclable rPET cups. We believe that using these recyclable drink cups, which will not include a £1 cup fee, is the best short-term solution for the Club that minimises our environmental impact. In the long term, we are exploring alternative opportunities for an even more sustainable and efficient system.
For County Championship matchdays, the Nip Back Inn, offering a range of hot food, and the Surrey Tavern, serving drinks, will be open under the SSE Energy Solutions Stand, while the popular lunch service in the 175 Suite will continue as in previous seasons. Members’ areas will have various food and drink options open with further options available in the concourse as usual.
In summary, there has been a huge amount of activity around the ground to enhance your spectator experience and while we finish the final touches over the next few weeks, we thank you for your patience and understanding, and look forward to delivering an unparalleled matchday for all our supporters.
A huge thank you once again for your continued support for the Club. We have an incredible year of domestic and international cricket ahead of us and cannot wait to welcome you back to your second home.
Best wishes,
Steve Elworthy, CEO
