Cricket is a sport steeped in tradition and history. Just last year, we at Surrey County Cricket Club marked our 180th anniversary year, celebrating our story, our successes, our supporters, our iconic ground, and the wider game itself. Age-old rituals continue to hold an important place in our game, but there is no denying that cricket has also seen and embraced enormous change, especially since the turn of the century.
The game that we at Surrey love and are working to grow looks profoundly different from the one I grew up playing, though the passion among supporters remains the same. The inception and rapid rise of T20 cricket, the arrival and proliferation of franchise leagues, including The Hundred in our own backyard, and the professionalisation of the women’s game are some of the macro changes that have transformed the game at every level. Amidst this backdrop, it must be said that red-ball cricket is still at the heart of the sport, certainly in England and Wales, in terms of both creating players who have the skillset and the mindset to succeed in international cricket as well as providing revenue streams through both match-day and broadcast revenues.
The game that we at Surrey love and are working to grow looks profoundly different from the one I grew up playing.
At Surrey, we have lived these changes in real time – through on-field highs and lows, through commercial reinvention and venue expansion, and through a widening of the game that would have been almost unimaginable a generation ago. Today, we are a data-driven, year-round commercial business, with a considerable portfolio of global partners and several streams of revenue, but to our core, we are and will continue to be a cricket-first members' club. Our values and objectives ensure that we are always reinvesting our profits back into the sport we champion, so that we are growing the game, producing more and more world-class cricketers for England, fighting for silverware and are constantly elevating the match day experience for our supporters.
As we stand in the 2026 season, we firmly believe the sport finds itself in a promising position. The monumental money that has recently come in through private investment in The Hundred can be a lifeline to sustain the 18-county structure of English cricket. Indeed, the combination of four formats in our six-month summer window poses a challenge, but it also presents an opportunity. At Surrey, we are very confident that the way we perceive and promote each format will help us grow the sport and satisfy the needs of every type of cricket fan.
We know that much of this would not be possible without the support of our outstanding partners. We recently continued our long-term association with JM Finn, bringing the connection to 25 years. Having their sustained support both deepens the connection with our fans as well as enabling the Club to plan and move forwards with the surety of that support.
In its first few years, The Hundred has done a commendable job in bringing in families and new fans to cricket grounds by reaching out beyond the usual audiences and thinking outside the box. Putting cricket back on free-to-air television, finding interesting ways to integrate the sport with music, creating conversation through player drafts and now the auction, as well as building strong teams with some of the best players in the world, has given the competition a great headstart. At the Kia Oval, the competition has especially resonated with our audiences, who have shown up in big numbers to cheer on the Oval Invincibles, and we do not doubt that the same will be the case for MI London.
Having JM Finn’s sustained support both deepens the connection with our fans as well as enabling the Club to plan and move forwards.
The Kia Oval is also often referred to as the Home of T20 Cricket, and we feel that T20 is the perfect format for those fans who are either new to cricket or follow it casually to enjoy a party-like atmosphere in central London, while also getting an opportunity to form deeper connections to the players and the Club. The T20 Vitality Blast is also a brilliant occasion for our generation of fans who are in the early stages of their professional careers, fans who have been with Surrey since their childhood, to rally behind their team with friends and colleagues after finishing their day jobs.
T20 Blast and The Hundred are also terrific platforms for women’s cricket to thrive. Having only recently professionalised, women’s cricket is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and the commercial and sporting opportunities will only keep on growing from here. The Hundred has already done wonders for the women’s game in the UK, and we hope with good reason that T20 double-headers will play a similar role and allow our new, fully professional women’s team to excel in front of packed-out stadiums.
Women’s cricket is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.
Red-ball cricket, however, is the beating heart of Surrey and the Kia Oval. It is the format that many of our 20,000-plus members care deeply about. It also forms the pipeline for a strong England Test team, which the broadcasters are paying a fortune to platform, and thereby financially supporting all 18 counties. Through a mix of innovative initiatives, we have been a leading county in terms of crowd attendances for the County Championship. Our numbers have tripled since 2021 and we set a 21st Century Record for the venue last year with over 84,000 fans coming through the gates – we are hard at work to beat that once again this year.
We’re extremely proud of how we have kept up with the times at Surrey and the Kia Oval, whilst preserving and upholding the rich history of the sport, as well as cherishing a passionate support base and welcoming a new one. Here’s to the good health of our sport and of Surrey County Cricket Club in the next 25 years and beyond.
Steve Elworthy
CEO, Surrey County Cricket Club
JM Finn and Surrey County Cricket Club: a timeline
2003 JM Finn begins its relationship with Surrey County Cricket Club as a box holder and advertiser at the Oval.
2008 The relationship develops into a formal partnership, expanding across domestic and international cricket, alongside client hospitality and event activity.
2013 JM Finn becomes a long-standing official partner, building a sustained presence at the Kia Oval and aligning with the Club’s heritage and values.
2021The partnership takes a substantial turn with JM Finn investing in the naming rights to the JM Finn Stand, marking a step change in visibility and commitment.
2026The partnership is renewed, taking the relationship to 25 years. JM Finn continues as official wealth management partner, supporting cricket at all levels from grass roots to world-class, while also hosting clients and guests at the iconic Kia Oval.
