As many of you know, there is a review underway on the schedule for the 2026 men’s domestic season. We wanted to write to all Surrey Members and Supporters to outline the Club’s position on the proposed options.
The purpose of this review is for the counties to consider how we can make English domestic cricket’s competitions the very best in the world. We want the competitions to continue to produce international cricketers and to prepare players to take the next step in their professional journey.
County Championship
Firstly, it is no secret at Surrey of our commitment and support for the best possible red-ball cricket competition. This is for the betterment of the entire game, as red-ball cricket develops the technical and mental skillsets of cricketers in a unique way. It is the foundation of the sport at a technical level and commercially, Test Match cricket is the backbone of the lucrative deal between the ECB and Sky Sports that provides a vital income source for all the counties.
We believe that the Rothesay County Championship is the best domestic red-ball competition in the world in terms of the quality of cricket, quality of players and the support from cricket fans across the country. To maintain this position, we are backing the proposal of maintaining 14 County Championship fixtures each year, with a shift in the divisional structure to see eight teams in Division 1 playing each other home and away, with a ten team Division 2.
An eight-team top division ensures that the best teams and the best players are playing each other more regularly, in varied conditions. It will continue to prepare players to take the next step in their developmental journey, whether that be at international level or playing in some of the high-quality white ball franchise cricket competitions. It also gives the competition integrity with all teams playing each other home and away, crucial in retaining supporters’ engagement and the proposition to broadcast and commercial partners.
There is so much potential for the competition to grow its fan base. We have seen crowds double in just five years here at the Kia Oval and huge numbers of younger fans come through the gates and learn to love the format. The red-ball game needs all the counties to get behind it, to prioritise it and to promote it. It is a unique and historic sporting competition, and we should embrace it for the benefit of the whole game.
We do however acknowledge and understand the impact of the current schedule on players’ workloads and agree that there is scope for a reduction in the playing calendar.
Vitality Blast
We would see this reduction happening in the Vitality Blast competition. The current schedule sees too many fixtures where teams are playing up to three times in a week, often in three different locations. Incorporating travel and training into this schedule and the mental and physical challenges that come with this is unsustainable and impacts the wellbeing of the players and quality of the competition.
From a commercial viewpoint, it is incredibly challenging to sell several fixtures in a short period of time, encouraging fans to return say three times in 10 days is a tough sell for those with a Membership, let alone those who want to come to multiple fixtures through General Admission.
The Vitality Blast is a high-quality competition where fans can see their homegrown heroes and international superstars play but it needs to be re-energised to reinvigorate fans and arrest the decline in attendances which no county has been immune from.
We believe that there is space for the Vitality Blast to not only survive but to thrive; creating a distinctly different offer to the Hundred that speaks to the history and tradition of the county game whilst emphasising the dynamic and exciting nature of the format. Crucial to this is bringing Finals Day back much closer to the conclusion of the group stages to maintain the momentum and interest in the competition.
One Day Cup
We are comfortable with the current scheduling of the One Day Cup. Whilst it means that we are missing many of our players due to the Hundred, it provides valuable development opportunities for our cricketers to step up into the first team squad in white ball competitions.
Ultimately, whilst there are challenges around the schedule there are also significant opportunities to improve the game for players and supporters. We believe that a healthy and thriving domestic game will not only create great cricketers for England but also continue to build a passionate fan base that will get behind the game.
Oli Slipper, Chair, and Steve Elworthy, CEO at Surrey CCC
Alec Stewart, High Performance Cricket Advisor at Surrey CCC, said “The County Championship is a high quality competition and it’s vital that any changes we make will maintain that. There’s a worry that if we undermine the integrity of the competition then it could impact the quality of players that we can produce for England.
“Giving the best players the opportunity to play with and against each other more often is the most sensible way to help young cricketers to develop their technical and mental skillsets in a range of conditions throughout the year.”
Rory Burns, Captain at Surrey CCC, said “It’s important to maintain the volume of cricket that plays such a crucial role in a player’s development. County Cricket prepares you for international cricket, you have time on task and you build the resilience you need at the highest level.
“I’d like to see a division structure where you are playing all teams home and away to win the County Championship title. The four-day game is about testing yourselves against the best opposition in different conditions and over the long season, the team who comes out top will have had to earn it throughout the year.”
