Utilita Bowl
Southampton · 25,000 capacity
The Utilita Bowl in West End, Southampton, stages its first men's Ashes Test, England v Australia, from Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 July 2027. Home to Hampshire Cricket and Southern Brave, the ground has the Shane Warne Suite, five Executive Boxes and an on-site Hilton hotel, where 79 of the 171 bedrooms are deluxe pitch-facing rooms.
About Utilita Bowl
What is on at the Utilita Bowl in 2027?
The Utilita Bowl in West End, Southampton, formerly the Rose Bowl and the Ageas Bowl, stages its first men's Ashes Test in 2027. England v Australia, the 4th Rothesay Ashes Test, runs from Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 July and is scheduled to start at 11am. The Utilita Bowl becomes the 10th UK ground to stage a men's Ashes Test. The Test is one of three England internationals at the ground in 2027.
- England Men v Pakistan, 1st Metro Bank ODI (of five): Saturday 15 May 2027, 11am, Utilita Bowl
- England Women v Australia, 1st Metro Bank ODI of the Metro Bank Women's Ashes: Tuesday 13 July 2027, 1pm, Utilita Bowl
- England v Australia, 4th Rothesay Ashes Test: Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 July 2027, scheduled to start at 11am, Utilita Bowl, covered day by day on the Ashes 2027 Southampton Test page
Who plays at the Utilita Bowl?
The Utilita Bowl is home to Hampshire Cricket (the Hampshire Hawks) and Southern Brave. Hampshire play Rothesay County Championship, Metro Bank One Day Cup and Vitality Blast home matches at the ground during the domestic season, which runs from April to September. Southern Brave play their Hundred home games there.
Hampshire reached the 2026 Vitality Blast final, losing to Northamptonshire Steelbacks by 14 runs, and were relegated from Division One of the County Championship for the first time since their 2014 promotion. Their most recent trophy is the 2022 Vitality Blast, one of 13 limited-overs titles, and they won the County Championship in 1973 and 1961.
Southern Brave's men finished sixth in The Hundred in 2026 and the women third; the women won the competition in 2023 and the men in 2021.
What hospitality does the Utilita Bowl offer?
The Utilita Bowl's hospitality range includes private boxes, shared suites and restaurant-style dining at BEEFY'S. The Shane Warne Suite, in the stand of the same name, is pitch-facing and air-conditioned, with access to a terrace. The same stand has five Executive Boxes, and two of them can be combined into one room, which the venue offers for private dinners and conferences of up to 30 guests.
The ground's other hospitality spaces include the Hampshire Suite, the Udal Lounge and the CIM Boxes, and the Robin Smith and Derek Shackleton Suites are among its event spaces.
On England international days, hospitality opens with the gates, two hours before the scheduled start, and suites close an hour after play ends. A dietary request form arrives by email before match day and, for internationals, the menu is sent in advance too. The ground is cashless. On match days, an information point is open in the Arlott Atrium. The hospitality dress code is smart casual, and the Ashes 2027 hospitality guide covers what to wear and how a Test day usually runs.
Can you stay at the Utilita Bowl?
Hilton Southampton - Utilita Bowl stands within the ground and overlooks the pitch. It has 171 bedrooms, and 79 of them are deluxe pitch-facing rooms, which the venue promotes for watching major events "from the privacy of your own balcony". BEEFY'S restaurant, inside the hotel, also looks out over the ground; the venue notes its menu may be limited on cricket dates.
Elsewhere on the site are the eforea spa, open to guests over 16, and the Hampshire Wellbeing Centre, which offers physiotherapy, sports massage and exercise classes. Boundary Lakes is the venue's 18-hole, par-70 parkland golf course with USGA-standard greens, and its clubhouse and pro shop are inside the Hilton.
How do you get to the Utilita Bowl?
The Utilita Bowl is on Botley Road, West End, Southampton, SO30 3XH, 1.2 miles from Junction 7 of the M27. Hedge End is the nearest station, under 2 miles away or about a 35-minute walk. Southampton Airport Parkway, on the South Western Railway main line from London Waterloo, and Southampton Airport are both about 3.5 miles away. On-site parking is limited and has to be booked in advance through the venue.
By bus, Bluestar 14 connects the ground with Hedge End station and Southampton city centre, and Bluestar 24 runs from Southampton Airport Parkway and stops at Moorgreen Hospital on Botley Road, near the ground.
Is the Utilita Bowl accessible?
For international matches the Utilita Bowl has wheelchair-accessible areas that can be booked, and its accessible gates lead onto a level berm that runs around the ground. There are lifts to the hospitality suites and the Roof Terrace, accessible toilets, a Changing Places facility, hearing loops, live commentary on in-ear radios and sensory bags. Assistance dogs are welcome, and close-to-gate accessible parking is booked through the Ticket Office.
Which major matches has the Utilita Bowl staged?
In 2026, its 25th-anniversary season, the Utilita Bowl hosted ICC Women's T20 World Cup matches in June and England Men's IT20s against India (11 July) and Sri Lanka (15 September). In June 2021 it staged the first World Test Championship Final, which New Zealand won by eight wickets against India on the reserve sixth day. England men's Tests were played here in 2020 (three that summer), 2018 and 2014, and the first was in 2011.
Who owns the Utilita Bowl?
Hampshire Cricket and the Utilita Bowl are owned by GMR Group, co-owners of Indian Premier League side Delhi Capitals. GMR completed its full takeover in June 2026, after first agreeing the deal in September 2024. The ground opened in 2001 as the Rose Bowl, became the Ageas Bowl in 2012 and has been the Utilita Bowl since 2024.
Hopkins Architects designed the ground, and its members' pavilion sits under a distinctive tensile roof canopy. The venue describes itself as "on a mission to become the world's greenest international cricket stadium". The ground holds up to around 25,000 spectators.
Getting There
Nearby Hotels
Accessibility at Utilita Bowl
Utilita Bowl welcomes all visitors with a range of accessibility facilities. Use the guide below to plan your visit.
Accessibility Notes
Close-to-gate accessible parking booked through the venue's Ticket Office; accessible gates onto a level berm
Upcoming Events at Utilita Bowl
Venue Info
- Type
- Cricket Ground
- Capacity
- 25,000
Interested in events at Utilita Bowl? Get in touch and we'll call you back within 2 hours.
Enquire NowUtilita Bowl FAQs
The nearest station to the Utilita Bowl is Hedge End, under 2 miles from the ground, about a 35-minute walk. On the South Western Railway main line from London Waterloo, Southampton Airport Parkway is about 3.5 miles away, and from there Bluestar 24 runs to Moorgreen Hospital on Botley Road, near the ground. Bluestar 14 links the ground with Hedge End station and Southampton city centre.
The Utilita Bowl's private boxes and shared suites both come with food and drink, though inclusions vary by space. Guests receive the menu and a dietary request form before an international. On international days, hospitality opens two hours before the scheduled start, when the gates open, and closes an hour after play ends. Alcohol is for over-18s only; ID may be required. The Ashes 2027 hospitality guide walks through a Test day.
Prestige Corporate Events arranges Utilita Bowl hospitality for an international by enquiry, and builds each booking around one match and the day or days chosen. The 2027 men's Ashes Test is scheduled for five days, Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 July 2027.
The Utilita Bowl has three England internationals in 2027. England Men play Pakistan in the 1st Metro Bank ODI on Saturday 15 May (11am), and England Women play Australia in the first ODI of the Metro Bank Women's Ashes on Tuesday 13 July (1pm). The Ashes 2027 Southampton Test, England v Australia, runs from Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 July, scheduled to start at 11am.
Yes. Guests with disabilities can take a lift to the Utilita Bowl's hospitality suites and Roof Terrace, and wheelchair-accessible areas can be booked for internationals. The ground has accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility. Hearing loops, live commentary on in-ear radios and sensory bags are available, and assistance dogs are welcome. Accessible parking close to the gates is booked through the Ticket Office.
Yes. Utilita Bowl match tickets are digital and are held in the Utilita Bowl Tickets App, available on iOS and Android. Tickets can be downloaded to the app two weeks before the fixture date, and each ticket's QR code appears in the app five hours before the match, for paperless entry at the ground.
BEEFY'S is the restaurant inside Hilton Southampton - Utilita Bowl, with views over the ground, though the venue says its menu may be limited on cricket dates. In the private boxes and shared suites, food and drink come with the space. The ground is cashless. Alcohol is for over-18s only; ID may be required.
The Utilita Bowl releases its own hospitality for the 2027 men's Ashes Test in a set order: Commercial Partners first, then 2026 hospitality bookers, then general sale of any remaining packages. The Ashes 2027 hospitality guide explains that release and how it runs separately from match tickets for the Southampton Test.
Yes, but on-site parking at the Utilita Bowl is limited and must be booked in advance through the venue's ticketing. Where a hospitality booking includes car parking, the venue allows one parking pass for every four guests in a party. The ground is 1.2 miles from Junction 7 of the M27. Close-to-gate accessible parking is booked through the Ticket Office.