LONDON — Surrey County Cricket Club has invited hybrid workers to use The Kia Oval as a remote workspace under a new initiative called "Work From Oval." Over the winter, the club upgraded the Wi-Fi at the south London ground and set aside work areas with desks, power access, and clear views of the game.

The Kia Oval is a 180-year-old cricket ground just south of the River Thames. The venue, which has a capacity of around 27,500, sells out for England test matches and for Surrey's short-format games. The club has described the venue as "the best home office in the country."

Hundreds of people have worked at the ground during the three home four-day County Championship matches hosted there this season. Some were crunching numbers and holding Zoom calls during play. More than a quarter of working adults in the U.K. work remotely part of the time, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Harry Ashton, director of Elite Finance Solutions, paid 15 pounds (approximately $20) to work at the ground rather than at his usual coworking space in Wimbledon. "It's not quite as good as Lytham Cricket Club," Ashton said. After a few hours of work, he and some friends enjoyed a beer.

Neil Munro, owner of Munron Consulting Ltd., also worked at the ground. "I have great belief in life generally, if you treat someone like an adult, they will behave like an adult," he said. "I don't see any downside provided everyone treats it with respect."

Matthew Balch, a keen club cricketer who also worked at the ground, said the model could be replicated elsewhere in the sport. "I think all of the counties should lean into the remote worker-freelancer market to grow attendances," Balch said.