A message to Surrey Members from Oli Slipper

It has been another incredible, eventful year for everyone at Surrey CCC and as we head towards the festive period, I wanted to reflect on the last 12 months as well as looking forward to another hugely important year for the Club.

2024 was my first full year in post and provided some fantastic moments on and off the field. Securing a third consecutive County Championship title is a remarkable feat and one which takes a significant amount of drive, dedication and determination. Alec, Gareth and Rory have steered the team with great skill and should be hugely proud of bringing the Club a golden era of success.

Whilst there are competing opinions around the game, we remain firmly committed to a 14-fixture County Championship season and will always look to protect the format as the pinnacle of domestic cricket in this country.

The County Championship remains the greatest challenge in global domestic cricket; it takes not only talent but grit and perseverance to deliver outstanding performances over six months. To repeat this feat three times on the trot is unprecedented over the last 50 years and shows how seriously the Club takes the competition. This was supplemented by record crowds turning up to get behind Rory and the team at the Kia Oval. Over 65,000 fans came through the gates to watch the County Championship, a 21^st century record for the ground, and the Club's Festival of Red Ball Cricket was an excellent initiative which we will repeat next year as we look to continue to drive interest in the four-day format.

The Kia Oval is fast-becoming the beating heart of the red-ball game in this country as the Club pursues success on and off the pitch. Whilst there are competing opinions around the game, we remain firmly committed to a 14-fixture County Championship season and will always look to protect the format as the pinnacle of domestic cricket in this country.

For the first time ever, our Membership passed 20,000 this year! A remarkable show of support and a huge thanks goes out to our Members and supporters. Getting behind the team at every turn: from a cold April morning in Manchester, enjoying the sunshine in south London to cheering on the team in chilly Chelmsford in September. We are so fortunate to have the best backing in the country and I'm pleased that the team have been able to reward that support with more success this year.

When I wrote to you last year, I mentioned a key priority would be securing a professional women's team and I'm delighted that we were successful in our bid. The Club put forward the outstanding proposition and I am looking forward to seeing one of our own in Bryony Smith leading the team out wearing the Three Feathers.

If you visit the Kia Oval today, you will see what is going on all around the ground to continue to develop the venue to maintain our place as one of the best in the world. The work going on to develop the dressing rooms, providing state-of-the-art facilities for the men's and women's teams, is an important investment to give our players the spaces they deserve. We are also continuing our commitment to becoming the most sustainable club in the country with our new LED floodlights which will also provide best-in-class light conditions for hosting floodlit games.

I want to thank Steve Elworthy and all the Club staff for their work this year. So much time and effort, much of it unseen, goes in to every year. Whether that is giving the fans who come through the gates the warmest welcome, ensuring that the ground is in the best shape for when the eyes of the world are on it or driving the off-field success that supports the team. The committed endeavours of the staff are what makes Surrey the remarkable club that it is.

Surrey must and will retain the controlling stake in the Oval Invincibles; this has been a clear redline that we will not cross.

As we look towards 2025, one of the most significant things that will happen before a ball is bowled will be the finalising of the Hundred team sale process. Over the last few weeks, a senior group of executives and board members from the Club have been in investment meetings with potential partners.

Throughout the process we have continued to take regular guidance from the General Committee and have stuck to our core principles as a Club. The mainstay of this has been that Surrey must and will retain the controlling stake in the Oval Invincibles; this has been a clear redline that we will not cross. It has inevitably been a significant part of the discussion with certain investors but we have been totally transparent about it with everyone involved from step one.

We have an outstanding team in place both at Surrey and already within the Oval Invincibles. Alec Stewart and Emma Calvert have shown the high standards that will drive success at Surrey, whilst Gareth Batty and Johann Myburgh are two of the very best coaches in their field. Add to that Tom Moody and Jonathan Batty, who have made the Oval Invincibles the most successful franchise in the Hundred by a distance. Their respective teams, on and off the pitch, are the gold standard within English cricket and we will not sacrifice their authority in order to secure funds beyond their worth.

We have also been clear that we are looking for a partner that will add value to Surrey CCC and the Hundred team. This is an exciting opportunity for us to bring in a partner who will help future proof the Club, not just from the direct investment they will provide but also in terms of their own expertise. We want their support to drive growth of the Surrey and Oval Invincibles brands; to source new and exciting sponsorships and explore cutting-edge technology to ensure that Club and the Hundred franchise are continuing to lead the way, not only in England but globally.

The support of the Board and the General Committee has been vital throughout this process. Thank you to them for their guidance not just through the Hundred sale but across the year. I also want to thank the ECB and their partners for their work to secure the future of cricket in this country. The funds from the sale of the Hundred teams will provide the game with the capital to invest in revenue-generating activities to help the sport to thrive commercially. We must protect the heritage of the county game and I hope that this opportunity will provide the platform for both host and non-host venues to build and grow whilst respecting the past.

2025 will be an incredibly exciting year with the new women's team, the pursuit of a fourth consecutive Championship trophy and a packed international summer; there is great reason to be optimistic about the future for the Club and for the sport.

I hope that all members of the Surrey family have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year and I will see you all in 2025.

Oli Slipper