Korean car manufacturer Kia has been a proud long-term supporter of Surrey County Cricket Club (Surrey CCC), providing sponsorship for the men’s team for the past 15 years. With the launch of the new professional women’s side, Kia has announced it has partnered with the Three Feathers, as the team will be known, as it commences its inaugural season.
This isn’t Kia’s first foray into women’s cricket. It has been involved since 2013, when it first supplied cars to the National England Women’s Cricket Team.
Less than a year later, in July 2014, Kia UK announced a groundbreaking two-year sponsorship deal and became the official partner and car of the England Women’s Cricket Team, providing a fleet of Kia Sportage SUVs for the team’s use throughout the cricket seasons. This first-ever standalone commercial agreement for the team granted Kia sole title sponsorship of England Women’s Home Test matches against India and Australia.
March 2016 saw the Women’s Cricket Super League officially launched as the Kia Super League. This marked the first standalone title sponsorship for a domestic women’s cricket competition in England. The league elevated standards and inspired more women and girls to play cricket, with the formation of six new women’s teams connected to their local communities.
The coming season will see Kia’s logo emblazoned across the new Surrey women’s official kit, just as it has been on the Surrey men’s kit for the past 15 years and was on the National England Women’s Cricket Team from 2014 until 2021.
Since 2011, Kia UK has been the headline sponsor of Surrey County Cricket Club and its home turf, the iconic Kia Oval
. The latest overall sponsorship has been extended for five years to 2029, making Surrey CCC and Kia UK’s partnership one of the longest brand associations in English sport and the biggest in the club’s 180-year history.
The sponsorship deals between Kia and Surrey CCC and England Women have so far seen the brand provide 260 new vehicles to support the club and team (95 for Surrey CCC and more than 160 for England Women), and as part of the ongoing sponsorship agreement, Kia UK will provide eight cars per season to the Surrey side.
“Our partnership with Surrey County Cricket Club over the last 15 years is something we at Kia are incredibly proud of,” said Paul Philpott, President and CEO of Kia UK. “I am even prouder to be supporting the club as the women’s team enters a new era of professional cricket. Inclusion and equality lie at the centre of our brand values, and I am delighted that we can promote these values through our partnership with the team, who I wish the best of luck for the upcoming season.”
Emma Calvert, Director of Women’s Cricket, Surrey County Cricket Club: “We are thrilled to welcome Kia UK as the official sponsor of our new, professional women’s side at the club, and we are looking forward to starting this new and exciting chapter of women’s cricket, with Kia, our familiar and supportive partner, alongside us. We are immeasurably grateful for Kia’s unending support of our club, our iconic location, and the women’s cricket team.”
Surrey’s team will debut as a newly formed professional side in an ECB One-Day Cup against Somerset women at The County Cricket Ground in Beckenham on 23 April 2025. The Three Feathers will then make their home season debut at the Kia Oval on 5 June 2025 against Hampshire in the 2025 Vitality Blast.
