The Uptonsteel County Ground welcomes thousands to its Family Fun Day

Monday, August 30, 2021 played host to the latest Family Fun Day at the Uptonsteel County Ground as Kent CCC travelled to Leicestershire to begin the divisional phase of the 2021 LV= County Championship, on Bank Holiday Monday.

The Bank Holiday saw more than 3,000 children, families and Members head to the Uptonsteel County Ground for the annual Family Fun Day “ the first since 2019.

Tickets were made free for everyone to come down an experience first-class cricket, alongside a variety of activities planned by the Club.

Together with the cricket, the Club made their brand new state-of-the-art batting simulator available to the public for the first time, which proved a huge hit, alongside other attractions such as an 8-metre-high rock-climbing wall, a 9-hole mini golf course, bouncy castle and with the LCCC in the Community team hosting a number of cricket activities, there was something for the whole family.

The new-for-2021 hospitality marquee facility was also transformed into an arts and crafts sanctuary, complete with an in-house face painter.

Half of the car park from the Curzon Road entrance and the entirety of the Foxes Den was converted into the ‘Family Zone’ and was complete with sweet stall, ice cream van and various food outlets creating a fantastic atmosphere.

Over 140 children entered the ‘Find a Fox’ Treasure Hunt and embarked on a journey to find the letters which spelt out the Running Foxes’ captain’s full name: Colin Ackermann, to be in with a chance of becoming a T20 mascot during the 2022 Vitality Blast season. The Club are currently sifting through the entries and the winner will be announced in due course.

An abundance of Charlie Fox templates were coloured in throughout the day for young Running Foxes to take home with them as a souvenir for the day.

Leicestershire CCC Event Manager Jack Bradley said: “There’s such buzz in the air with the sound of families and young children running around enjoying themselves again at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

“This is something that we’re passionate about as a Club, to engage with families and young children who will hopefully, become strong fans of the Club following days like today.”

The attendance is a recent record for a day one crowd of a County Championship fixture and surpasses the previous Family Fun Day attendance in 2019 of 1,900.

Overall, the day set the Uptonsteel County Ground alight as the Foxes family were once again out in force.