The Ashes 2027 Utilita Bowl Hospitality | Fourth Test
Southampton's first men's Ashes Test
The Fourth Test of the 2027 Ashes is played at the Utilita Bowl from Wednesday 21 July to Sunday 25 July - and it is the first men's Ashes Test the ground has ever staged. That makes the Utilita Bowl only the tenth venue in the United Kingdom to have hosted one, in a history stretching back to 1880.
It is also the least conventional venue of the five. The ground sits in open Hampshire countryside on the northern edge of Southampton rather than in a city, and it is the only Ashes venue in 2027 with a hotel and a golf course on the site. Guests can stay where they watch, which changes the shape of the trip entirely compared with Lord's or the Oval.
DN Global arranges premium hospitality for the Southampton Test, sourced through our network - private boxes, suite and restaurant packages, and premium reserved seating with lounge access. We do not publish prices. Tell us your day and your guest numbers and your account manager will confirm what can be sourced in writing.
DN Global is not the official hospitality provider for England Cricket or the ECB. Ashes experiences are sourced through our network and confirmed to you in writing before booking.
Enquire about the Southampton TestThe Utilita Bowl - the newest ground on the circuit
The Utilita Bowl opened in 2001 as Hampshire's new home, replacing the old county ground at Northlands Road, and it was designed from a blank sheet rather than accumulated over a century like Lord's or the Oval. The result is a true bowl: a continuous ring of banked seating, long uninterrupted sight lines, and views out past the boundary to open countryside rather than to city buildings.
That openness is the ground's defining quality and its defining risk. On a clear July afternoon it is one of the most pleasant places in England to watch cricket. It also sits exposed on the Hampshire downs, and the sea is not far away, so the weather here can turn faster than at the inland grounds - something worth building into your plans rather than being surprised by.
The venue has staged Test cricket before, most notably across the 2020 international summer played behind closed doors. What it has never staged is an Ashes Test with a full house in it. The 2027 Fourth Test is the first, and there is a reasonable argument that the novelty makes it the most interesting ticket of the series after Lord's.
Utilita Bowl Ashes hospitality options
The only venue on the 2027 list where the hotel is part of the ground.
Private boxes
Self-contained boxes for corporate groups, with private catering, a dedicated host and a balcony over the play.
Suite and restaurant packages
Shared or private tables in the ground's hospitality suites, with a drinks reception, multi-course lunch and afternoon tea across the day.
Premium reserved seating
Allocated seats with a proper view down the wicket, paired with lounge access through the intervals.
Residential packages
The Hilton at the Ageas Bowl adjoins the ground, so accommodation and match-day hospitality can be combined here in a way that is not possible at the other four venues.
Hosted bar
Inclusive drinks across the day at most tiers, with the specific inclusions confirmed in writing beforehand.
Weekend finish
The Wednesday start puts days four and five on the Saturday and Sunday. If the Test runs the distance, the closing stages are played in front of the fullest crowds of the week.
Southampton, Winchester and the south coast
The ground is at West End on the northern edge of Southampton, immediately off junction 7 of the M27. Southampton Airport Parkway is around ten minutes away by taxi and reaches London Waterloo in roughly an hour and a quarter; Southampton Airport itself is a five-minute drive, which makes this the easiest venue of the five to reach by air.
Being out of town rather than in it, the Utilita Bowl has considerably better parking than any other ground on the 2027 list. For a corporate group arriving together by car, that is a genuine practical advantage over Lord's or Edgbaston, where driving is close to impossible on a Test day.
The wider area rewards making a few days of it. Winchester is twenty minutes north and a far more attractive base than Southampton itself; the New Forest is half an hour west; and the south coast harbour towns are all within easy reach. Of the five 2027 Tests, this is the one that most naturally becomes a longer trip rather than a single day.
The other four Ashes Tests
Each Test has its own hospitality page. Multi-Test itineraries are arranged across any combination.
First Test · Trent Bridge
Friday 18 - Tuesday 22 June 2027. The series opener, at the ground with the most beautiful pavilion end in English cricket.
Trent Bridge hospitality →Second Test · Lord's
Wednesday 30 June - Sunday 4 July 2027. The Home of Cricket. The Long Room, the slope, the honours board.
Lord's hospitality →Third Test · Edgbaston
Thursday 8 - Monday 12 July 2027. The loudest Test ground in England, and England's fortress against Australia.
Edgbaston hospitality →Fifth Test · The Oval
Thursday 29 July - Monday 2 August 2027. Where English summers end, and where the urn is traditionally decided.
The Oval hospitality →Explore more hospitality
The Ashes 2027 series hub
The full five-Test schedule, what is available at each ground, and multi-Test itineraries.
The Ashes 2027 hospitality →The Oval, Fifth Test
The series finale runs 29 July to 2 August, four days after Southampton finishes - the natural pairing for a single trip.
The Oval hospitality →Corporate hospitality
Client entertainment and group bookings, with corporate invoicing, full VAT documentation and one named account manager.
Corporate hospitality →Utilita Bowl Ashes Test hospitality FAQs
Enquire about Utilita Bowl Ashes hospitality
Tell us your preferred day of the Fourth Test, your guest numbers and whether you would like accommodation on site. Your named account manager will confirm exactly what can be sourced, in writing, with no hidden fees and no obligation to book.
Prefer to talk? Call 07404 617459 or WhatsApp us.