Sunderland Association Football Club (, ) is an English professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in the city of
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
,
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newcastl ...
. Formed in 1879, Sunderland play in the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
, the second tier of English football. The club has won six top-flight titles (1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, and 1936) in the
First Division, and has finished runners-up five times. The club has also won the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
twice (1937 and 1973) and been runners-up twice (1913 and 1992), as well as winning the
FA Charity Shield
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...
in 1936 and being finalists the following year. Sunderland have also been
Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
finalists in 1985 and 2014.
Between 1891 and 1939, "The Black Cats", as they are known - in addition to their six league titles - finished in the bottom half of the league only ten times, and finished in the top seven 28 times. Since
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, their league performances have been considerably poorer, only finishing in the top half nine times, (1947, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1955, 1956, 2000, 2001 and 2011), and only reaching the top seven four times (1950, 1955, 2000 and 2001). Furthermore, they have been relegated eleven times, and just over half of this period has been spent in the top flight (41 out of 76 seasons); of the 35 seasons in which they were outside the top flight, five have been spent in the third tier.
Sunderland play their home games at the 49,000-capacity
all-seater
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football and Ame ...
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...
having moved from
Roker Park
Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated; ...
in 1997. The original ground capacity was 42,000 which was increased to 49,000 following expansion in 2000. The club have a long-standing rivalry with nearby club
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, with whom they have contested the
Tyne–Wear derby
The Tyne–Wear derby, also known as the North East derby, is a local derby between the association football clubs Sunderland A.F.C., Sunderland and Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United. The derby is an inter-city rivalry in North East Englan ...
since 1898. The club have played in red and white-striped shirts and black shorts for nearly the entirety of its history.
History
Early years and the "Team of All Talents" (1879–1908)
The club was founded as Sunderland and District Teachers A.F.C. by
schoolmaster
The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled after B ...
James Allan in what has commonly been believed to be October 1879. However, evidence suggests that the club was not formally created until a year later, on 25 September 1880.
It was renamed as Sunderland A.F.C. and became open to more than just school teachers in October 1880.
![John Middleton Campbell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/John_Middleton_Campbell.jpg)
Sunderland joined
The Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
for the
1890–91 season.
Tom Watson became Sunderland's first manager when he was appointed in 1888. During the late 19th century, they were declared the "Team of All Talents" by
William McGregor,
[Days, p. 21.] the founder of the league, after a 7–2 win against
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
.
Sunderland won the league championship in the
1891–92 season, one season after joining The Football League, and this performance led ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' to describe the players as "a wonderfully fine team".
[Days, pp. 29–30.] Sunderland successfully defended the title the following season, aided by their Scottish
centre forward
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
John Campbell, who broke the 30-goal mark for the second time in consecutive seasons. In the process, they became the first team to score 100 goals in a season, a feat not matched until
1919–20.
Sunderland came close to winning a third successive league championship in the
1893–94 season, finishing second behind Aston Villa. However, they regained the title in the
1894–95 season, with Campbell becoming league top scorer for the third time. Sunderland then beat Scottish champions
Heart of Midlothian in a game described as the "
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
" match.
Their goalkeeper
Ned Doig
John Edward Doig (29 October 1866 – 7 November 1919) was a Scottish footballer, who played as a goalkeeper. He played the peak of his career for Sunderland, in a period of time in the club's history where they were dubbed the 'team of all tale ...
set a 19th-century world record by not conceding any goals in 87 of his 290 top division appearances (30%). From 1886 until 1898, Sunderland's home ground was in
Newcastle Road
Newcastle Road was a football ground in the Monkwearmouth area of Sunderland, England, and was the home ground of Sunderland A.F.C for twelve years, between 1886 and 1898. It was the sixth ground at which the club had played. Also called ''As ...
. In 1898, the club moved to what would become their home for almost a century,
Roker Park
Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated; ...
.
[Days, pp. 45–46.] Initially the ground had a capacity of 30,000.
After taking Sunderland to three English League championship titles manager Watson resigned at the end of the 1895–96 season, in order to join
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
.
[Days, p. 39.] Robert Campbell replaced him.
Campbell did not achieve the same playing success as Watson, as Sunderland failed to win any titles in his three seasons at the club.
Scotsman
Alex Mackie
Alex Mackie (born in Banffshire in 1870) was a Scottish Association football player and manager who took charge of Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
Mackie played his early football in Aberdeen before joining the Glasgow Football Association. He ...
replaced Campbell as manager for the 1899 season.
[Days, pp. 55–56.] Following a second-place finish in 1900–01, the club won their fourth league title in the
1901–02 season,
and followed this up with victory in the
Sheriff of London Charity Shield
The Sheriff of London Charity Shield, also known as the Dewar Shield, was a football competition played annually between the best amateur and best professional club in England, though Scottish amateur side Queens Park also took part in 1899. The ...
.
In December 1902,
Arthur Bridgett joined Sunderland. He went on to captain the "Black Cats" for ten years and gain eleven England caps, making him the club's second most-capped England international behind
Dave Watson
David Watson (born 20 November 1961) is an English football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a defender from 1980 to 2001. He played his entire career for Norwich City and Everton. With the Toffees he played in ...
.
Further league championship titles (1908–1945)
![Rokerlads1937](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Rokerlads1937.jpg)
On 5 December 1908, Sunderland achieved their highest ever league win, 9–1 against north-east rivals Newcastle United. Under Irish manager
Bob Kyle
Robert H. "Bob" Kyle (c. 1870 – after 1928) was an Irish football manager during the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s.
A native of Belfast, Kyle was club secretary (overseeing the whole club including coaching/training) at Distillery in the Irish Leagu ...
and with Scottish
Charles Thomson
Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 – August 16, 1824) was an Irish-born Patriot leader in Philadelphia during the American Revolution and the secretary of the Continental Congress (1774–1789) throughout its existence. As secretary, Thomson ...
as captain, the club won the league again in 1913, but lost their first
FA Cup final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...
1–0 to Aston Villa.
Two seasons later the First World War brought the league to a halt. After the league's resumption, Sunderland came close to winning another championship in the
1922–23 season, when they were runners-up to Liverpool. They also came close the following season, finishing third. The club escaped relegation from the First Division by one point in the
1927–28 season despite 35 goals from
Dave Halliday
David Halliday (11 December 1901 – 5 January 1970) was a Scottish association football player and manager. He achieved numerous distinctions and high rankings as a prolific goal-scoring forward with six senior clubs; St Mirren, Dundee, Sunder ...
.
Halliday improved his goal scoring to 43 goals in 42 games the following season, an all-time Sunderland record for goals scored in a single season.
The club's sixth league championship came in the
1935–36 season under Scottish manager
Johnny Cochrane
Johnny Cochrane was a Scottish football manager.
Career
Cochrane was born in Paisley. As a player, he had a short spell with Johnstone in Scottish Division Two, records showing he also acted as the club's secretary, then was their manager in ...
. They scored 109 goals during the season, with
Raich Carter
Horatio Stratton "Raich" Carter (21 December 1913 – 9 October 1994) was an English sportsman who played football for Sunderland, Derby County and Hull City, as well as representing England on thirteen occasions. He also played first-class cri ...
and
Bobby Gurney
Bobby Gurney (13 October 1907 – 14 April 1994) was a football forward who is the highest goal scorer in the history of his only senior club as a player, Sunderland.
Early years
Born in Stewart Street, Silksworth, Sunderland, his father J ...
each scoring 31. They followed this by winning the Charity Shield against FA Cup winners Arsenal.
Despite winning the league, the season did not go without tragedy. The young goalkeeper of the team,
Jimmy Thorpe
James Horatio Thorpe (16 September 1913 – 9 February 1936) was an English footballer born in Jarrow.
He played 139 games as a goalkeeper for his only club, Sunderland. He signed when he was 17 after attending Jarrow Central School. He had a ...
, died as a result of being kicked after he had picked up the ball following a
backpass
In association football, the back-pass rule prohibits the goalkeeper from handling the ball in most cases when it is passed to them by a team-mate. It is described in Law 12, Section 2 of the Laws of the Game.
Award
Goalkeepers are normally all ...
against
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. He continued to take part until the match finished, but collapsed at home and died in hospital four days later.
This incident led to a change in the rules, whereby players were no longer allowed to raise their foot to a goalkeeper when he had control of the ball in his arms.
They won the FA Cup the following season, after a 3–1 victory against Preston North End at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
. Some football was still played during the Second World War as a morale boosting exercise, in the form of the
Football League War Cup
The Football League War Cup was an association football tournament held between 1939 and 1945. It aimed to fill the gap left in English football by the suspension of the FA Cup during the Second World War. Though it was often referred to in conte ...
. Sunderland were finalists in the tournament in
1942
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...
.
"The Bank of England" club, financial troubles and three cup finals (1945–1995)
![Ianporterfieldgoal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Ianporterfieldgoal.jpg)
For Sunderland, the immediate post-war years were characterised by significant spending; the club paid £18,000 (£ today) for
Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
's
Ivor Broadis
Ivan Arthur "Ivor" Broadis (18 December 1922 – 12 April 2019) was an English professional footballer.
During a career spanning nineteen years from 1942 to 1961, Broadis represented Carlisle United, Sunderland, Manchester City, Newcastle Unite ...
in January 1949. Broadis was also Carlisle's manager at the time, and this is the first instance of a player transferring himself to another club. This, along with record-breaking transfer fees to secure the services of
Len Shackleton
Leonard Francis Shackleton (3 May 1922 – 28 November 2000) was an English footballer. Known as the "Clown Prince of Football", he is generally regarded as one of English football's finest ever entertainers. He also played cricket in the Minor ...
and the Welsh international
Trevor Ford
Trevor Ford (1 October 1923 – 29 May 2003) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a centre forward for Swansea Town, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Cardiff City, PSV, Newport County and Romford, as well as for the Wales national tea ...
, led to a contemporary nickname, the "
Bank of England club
The Bank of England club is a nickname in English association football for a football club which has a strong financial backing. It was used to refer to Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Aston Villa and Blackpool in the 1930s as well as in recent times ...
". The club finished third in the First Division in
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
, their highest finish since the 1936 championship.
The late 1950s saw a sharp downturn in Sunderland's fortunes, and the club was once again implicated in a major financial scandal in 1957.
[Days, p. 63.] Found guilty of making payments to players in excess of the
maximum wage
A maximum wage, also often called a wage ceiling, is a legal limit on how much income an individual can earn. It is a prescribed limitation which can be used to effect change in an economic structure, but its effects are unrelated to those of mini ...
, they were fined £5,000 (£ today), and their chairman and three directors were suspended. The following year, Sunderland were
relegated
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
from the highest division for the first time in their 68-year league history.
Sunderland's absence from the top flight lasted six years. After a close call in the previous season, the club was promoted to Division One in 1964 after finishing in second place. At the end of the decade, they were again relegated to the Second Division after finishing 21st.
![1973facuphomecoming](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/1973facuphomecoming.jpg)
Sunderland won their last major trophy in 1973, in a 1–0 victory over
Don Revie
Donald George Revie OBE (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an England international footballer and manager, best known for his successful spell with Leeds United from 1961 until 1974, which immediately preceded his appointment as England manage ...
's
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
in the FA Cup Final. A
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
club at the time, Sunderland won the game thanks mostly to the efforts of their goalkeeper
Jimmy Montgomery
Jimmy Montgomery BEM (born 9 October 1943) is an English retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made a record 627 appearances for his hometown club Sunderland with 537 of these appearances being in the league, after joining the cl ...
.
Ian Porterfield
John Ian Porterfield (11 February 1946 – 11 September 2007) was a Scottish professional footballer, and an experienced football coach who worked at both club and international level for almost 30 years. At the time of his death, he was the coa ...
scored a
volley in the 30th minute to beat Leeds and take the trophy.
Since 1973 only two other clubs,
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in 1976, and
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
in 1980, have equalled Sunderland's achievement of lifting the FA Cup while playing outside the top tier of English football.
By winning the FA Cup, Sunderland qualified for the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
, the club's only appearance in European competition to date.
They beat
Vasas Budapest but then lost on aggregate to
Sporting of Portugal in the
second round
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...
.
After spending six seasons in the Second Division, Sunderland were promoted to Division One in the
1975–76 season, but were relegated again the following season, despite a late-season comeback which saw them win two matches 6-0 and 6-1.
Sunderland appeared in their first
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
final in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, but lost 1–0 to
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
. In 1987, Sunderland saw one of the lowest points in their history, when they were relegated to the
Third Division of the English league for the first time. Under new chairman
Bob Murray and new manager
Denis Smith, the club was promoted the following season. In 1990, they were promoted back to the top flight in unusual circumstances, losing to
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
in the play-off final, but Swindon's promotion was revoked after the club was found guilty of financial irregularities and Sunderland were promoted instead. They stayed up for one year before being relegated on the final day of the following season.
![Peter Reid Sunderland 1998small](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Peter_Reid_Sunderland_1998small.jpg)
Sunderland's next outing in a major final came in
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
when, as a Second Division club, they returned to the FA Cup final. There was to be no repeat of the heroics of 1973, as Sunderland lost 2–0 to Liverpool.
New stadium, promotions and relegations (1995–2006)
In 1995, they faced the prospect of a return to the third-tier of English football.
Peter Reid
Peter Reid (born 20 June 1956) is an English football manager, pundit and former player.
A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career. He built his reputation as one of England's brightest midfield tale ...
was brought in as manager, and quickly turned things around. Reid's time in charge had a stabilising effect; he remained manager for seven years. After promotion from Division One in the
1995–96 season, Sunderland began their first season in the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, but finished third from the bottom and were relegated back to the First Division.
In 1997, Sunderland left
Roker Park
Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated; ...
and moved to the
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...
, a 42,000-seat arena that, at the time, was the largest stadium built in England after the Second World War.
The capacity was later increased to 49,000.
Sunderland returned to the Premier League as First Division champions in 1999 with a then-record 105 points. At the end of the season Sunderland finished seventh, with
Kevin Phillips winning the
European Golden Shoe
The European Golden Shoe, also known as European Golden Boot, is an award that is presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league matches from the top division of a European national league. The trophy is a sculpture of a football boot. ...
in his first top-flight season, scoring 30 goals.
Another seventh-place finish in the 2000–01 season was followed by two less successful seasons, and they were relegated to the second-tier with a then-record low 19 points in 2003.
Former
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
manager
Mick McCarthy
Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional football manager, pundit, and former player. He was last in charge of EFL Championship club Cardiff City.
McCarthy began his playing career at Barnsley in 1977, and he later had ...
took over at the club, and, in 2005, he took Sunderland up as champions for the third time in less than 10 years.
However, the club's stay in the top flight was short-lived as Sunderland were once again relegated, this time with a new record-low total of 15 points. McCarthy left the club in mid-season, and he was replaced temporarily by former Sunderland player
Kevin Ball
Kevin Ball (born 12 November 1964) is an English former professional footballer who played for Portsmouth, Sunderland, Fulham and Burnley. Since his retirement, he has held a number of positions at Sunderland, including twice being caretaker m ...
.
Drumaville Consortium takeover and Ellis Short era (2006–2016)
![Quinn, Niall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Quinn%2C_Niall.jpg)
Following Sunderland's relegation from the Premier League, the club was taken over by the Irish
Drumaville Consortium,
headed by ex-player
Niall Quinn
Niall John Quinn (honorary MBE; born 6 October 1966) is an Irish former professional footballer, manager, businessman and sports television pundit.
As a player he was a striker who played top flight football for Arsenal, Manchester City and ...
, who appointed former
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
captain
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during ...
as the new manager. Under Keane, the club rose steadily up the table with an unbeaten run of 17 games to win promotion to the Premier League, Following an inconsistent start to the
2008–09 season, Keane resigned. Before the start of the following campaign, Irish-American businessman
Ellis Short
Ellis Short (born October 6, 1960) American businessman and founder of Kildare Partners, a private equity fund investing in distressed European real estate assets. Short was also the owner and chairman of English football club Sunderland A.F.C. ...
completed a full takeover of the club, and
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger Bruce (born 31 December 1960) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a centre-back. He most recently managed West Bromwich Albion F.C., West Br ...
was announced as the next manager on 3 June.
One of Bruce's first signings,
Darren Bent
Darren Ashley Bent (born 6 February 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played in the Premier League and Championship for nine clubs, and at senior international level for the England national team.
...
, cost a club record fee of £10 million, broken a year later when they bought Ghana international
Asamoah Gyan
Asamoah Gyan ( ; born 22 November 1985) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who last played as a striker for Legon Cities FC and is the former captain of the Ghanaian national team.
Gyan began his career in 2003 with Ghanaian Premier Leag ...
for around £13 million.
Sunderland started the
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
season strongly, but after Bent left for Aston Villa in January 2011 in a deal potentially worth £24 million, a record transfer fee received for the club, they eventually finished 10th — which was still their highest top-flight finish for 10 years. After being named Sunderland's Young Player of the Year for two seasons in a row, local player
Jordan Henderson
Jordan Brian Henderson (born 17 June 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Liverpool and the England national team.
Henderson joined the Sunderland Academy at the age of eight, making his first-team ...
was transferred to Liverpool at the end of the 2010–11 season, where he went on to win the
Champions League among other achievements.
Short replaced Quinn as chairman in October 2011, with Quinn initially becoming Director of International Development; he left the club with immediate effect in February 2012.
Bruce was sacked in November 2011, and replaced by
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
. O'Neill was sacked in March 2013 and Italian
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made over 500 league appearances and scored over one hundred goals as a forward. He primarily played as a deep-lying forward, ...
was announced as his replacement the following day to widespread controversy.
Sunderland went on to avoid relegation with one game to go. Di Canio was sacked after a poor start to the 2013–14 season, and reports of a complete breakdown in relations with his players.
Gus Poyet
Gustavo Augusto Poyet DomÃnguez (; born 15 November 1967) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former footballer. He is currently the head coach of the Greece national football team.
Poyet played as a midfielder and began his caree ...
was announced as his replacement, and led Sunderland to the
2014 Football League Cup Final, where they were defeated 3–1 by
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
. In March 2015 Poyet was sacked, and veteran Dutchman
Dick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas Advocaat (; born 27 September 1947) is a Dutch former football player and coach who is currently the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag.
Advocaat was successful as a football player and as a coach, including three sti ...
was appointed, saving the club from relegation. Eight games into the 2015–16 season he resigned from the position.
Sam Allardyce
Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English association football, football manager and former professional player.
Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent most ...
was appointed the next manager in October 2015, and the club was again saved from relegation at the end of the season.
Back-to-back relegations and ownership changes (2016–2022)
In July 2016, Allardyce left the club to be announced as manager for the
England national team, and
David Moyes
David William Moyes ( ; born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Premier League club West Ham United. He was previously the manager of Preston North End, Everton, Manches ...
was appointed as his replacement. Under Moyes, Sunderland made the worst ever start to a Premier League season, taking just two points from their opening 10 matches. The club was relegated for the first time in 10 years at the end of 2016–17, finishing bottom of the table, and Moyes resigned. In June 2017, goalkeeper
Jordan Pickford
Jordan Lee Pickford (' Logan; born 7 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Everton and the England national team.
Pickford has previously played for Sunderland's academy, reserve, and senior te ...
, a product of Sunderland's academy, was transferred to Everton for a fee of £25 million, rising to a possible £30 million; a record for a British goalkeeper.
Following relegation,
Simon Grayson
Simon Nicholas Grayson (born 16 December 1969) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Indian Super League club Bengaluru.
As a player, he was a right back, but he was also utilised in m ...
was announced as the new manager. The club made a very poor start to the
2017–18 EFL Championship
The 2017–18 EFL Championship (referred to as the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the second season of the EFL Championship under its current name, and the twenty-sixth season under its current league structure.
Team changes
The ...
season (which was documented in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
series ''
Sunderland 'Til I Die
''Sunderland 'Til I Die'' is a sports documentary series. Produced by Fulwell 73 (named as a homage to Sunderland A.F.C. by its founders), the series documents the events around English football club Sunderland A.F.C.
Released on 14 December 2 ...
'') and Grayson was sacked at the end of October, with
Chris Coleman replacing him. In April 2018, after a second consecutive relegation, this time to
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
, the club was sold to a group led by
Stewart Donald
Stewart Donald (born 1974/1975) is an English businessman and football administrator. Based in Witney, Oxfordshire, he is the former chairman and majority shareholder of Sunderland A.F.C. and former CEO of Bridle Insurance.
Career
As of 2018, Do ...
and Coleman was released from his contract.
Jack Ross was appointed as the new manager in May 2018. In the club's first season in League One they got to the final of the
EFL Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
and finished 5th and reached the play-off final, but lost to
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
at Wembley. After a disappointing start to the following 2019–20 season, Ross was sacked. He was replaced by former Bolton manager
Phil Parkinson
Philip John Parkinson (born 1 December 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently manager of National League side Wrexham.
Parkinson is the only manager to take an English fou ...
. Sunderland finished the season in 8th place, their lowest ever league position, with the final standings ultimately being determined by points per game due to football's suspension due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Parkinson was sacked in November 2020 and was replaced by
Lee Johnson Lee Johnson may refer to:
Sportspeople
* Lee Johnson (wide receiver) (born 1944), American football wide receiver
*Lee Johnson (punter) (born 1961), American football punter
*Lee Johnson (basketball) (born 1957), American basketball player
* Lee Jo ...
the following month. Later that month, the club reached an agreement with
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus (born 18 December 1997) is a French businessman. He is a member of the French Louis-Dreyfus family.
Since February 2021, Louis-Dreyfus has been the Chairman of English Championship football club, Sunderland. In June 2022, he ...
for him to purchase a controlling stake in the club. The takeover was completed on 18 February 2021. In May 2021, the club again fell short of promotion after losing to
Lincoln City 3–2 on aggregate in the semifinals of the play-offs, meaning that Sunderland would remain in the third tier for a fourth consecutive season.
Return to the Championship (2022–present)
In February 2022, former
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
manager
Alex Neil was appointed as head coach, following the dismissal of
Lee Johnson Lee Johnson may refer to:
Sportspeople
* Lee Johnson (wide receiver) (born 1944), American football wide receiver
*Lee Johnson (punter) (born 1961), American football punter
*Lee Johnson (basketball) (born 1957), American basketball player
* Lee Jo ...
after a 6–0 loss to
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...
in January. After finishing 5th in League One at the end of the season, Sunderland qualified for the playoffs. In the semi-finals, they beat
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
2-1 on aggregate, and went on to beat
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
2-0 in the final to secure a return to the
second flight of English football, having languished in League One for four seasons.
Colours and crest
Sunderland played in an all blue
strip
Strip or Stripping may refer to:
Places
* Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya
* Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Namibia to ...
from their formation until 1884,
when they adopted a red and white halved strip.
They assumed the current strip of red and white stripes in the
1887–88 season. Their badge included a ship, the upper part of the
Sunderland coat of arms, a black cat, and a football in front of Sunderland's red and white stripes. In 1972 the badge was changed, removing the black cat but still including a ship, a football and the background of red and white stripes. This badge was first used on the match day shirt in 1977, replacing the simple black 'SAFC' initials which had been used since 1973.
The top section and border of the badge was coloured in blue until 1991, when it changed to black.
To coincide with the move from Roker Park to the Stadium of Light in 1997, Sunderland released a new crest divided into four quarters; the upper right and lower left featured their traditional red and white colours, but the ship was omitted. The upper left section features the
Penshaw Monument
The Penshaw Monument (officially the Earl of Durham's Monument) is a memorial in the style of an ancient Greek temple on Penshaw Hill in the metropolitan borough of the City of Sunderland, North East England. It is located near the village of ...
and the lower right section shows the
Wearmouth Bridge
Wearmouth Bridge is a through arch bridge across the River Wear in Sunderland. It is the final bridge over the river before its mouth with the North Sea.
Original bridge
The original Wearmouth Bridge was designed by Thomas Paine and opened in ...
.
A colliery wheel at the top of the crest commemorates County Durham's mining history, and the land the Stadium of Light was built on, formerly the
Monkwearmouth Colliery. The crest also contains two lions, the black cats of Sunderland, and a banner displaying the club's motto, ''Consectatio Excellentiae'', which means "In pursuit of excellence".
Stadium
Sunderland have had eight grounds throughout their history; the first was at
Blue House Field in
Hendon
Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...
in 1879. The ground was close to the place where Sunderland formed, at Hendon Board School; at that time the rent for use of the ground was £10 (£ today). The club then used a number of fields, one of which was near The Cedars road, before relocating to
Groves Field in
Ashbrooke
Ashbrooke is a residential area of Sunderland, North East England directly south and south-west of the city centre.
Ashbrooke developed through the Victorian era as Sunderland's first suburb. Originally occupied by large middle-class families ...
in 1882 for one season. The club's third stadium was
Horatio Street
Horatio Street was a football ground in the Roker area of Sunderland. It was the fourth home of Sunderland A.F.C., hosting the club between 1883 and 1884.
Known also as 'Dolly Field' and 'Cooper Street', it was Sunderland's first home North ...
in
Roker
Roker () is a tourist resort and affluent area of Sunderland, North East England, bounded on the south by the River Wear and Monkwearmouth, on the east by the North Sea, to the west by Fulwell and on the north by Seaburn. It is administered ...
, the first Sunderland stadium north of the
River Wear
The River Wear (, ) in North East England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At long, it is one of the region's longest rivers, wends in a steep valley through th ...
; the club played a single season there before another move, this time to
Abbs Field
Abbs Field was a football ground located in the Fulwell area of Sunderland. It was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. between 1884 and 1886, the fifth ground to host the club. Sunderland played their first game at Abbs Field on 27 September 1884 ...
in
Fulwell for two seasons. Abbs Field was notable for being the first Sunderland ground to which they charged admission.
Sunderland moved to
Newcastle Road
Newcastle Road was a football ground in the Monkwearmouth area of Sunderland, England, and was the home ground of Sunderland A.F.C for twelve years, between 1886 and 1898. It was the sixth ground at which the club had played. Also called ''As ...
in 1886. By 1898, the ground reached a capacity of 15,000 after renovations, and its rent had risen to £100 (£ today) a year. Near the turn of the 20th century, Sunderland needed a bigger stadium. They returned to Roker and set up home in
Roker Park
Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated; ...
. It was opened on 10 September 1898, and the home team played a match the same day against Liverpool,
which they won. The stadium's capacity increased to 50,000 after redevelopment with architect
Archibald Leitch
Archibald Keir Leitch (27 April 1865 – 25 April 1939) was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing football stadiums throughout Great Britain and Ireland.
Early work
Born in Glasgow, Leitch's early work was on designing tea ...
in 1913. Sunderland were nearly bankrupted by the cost of renovating the Main Stand, and Roker Park was put up for sale but no further action was taken. On 8 March 1933, an overcrowded Roker Park recorded the highest ever attendance at a Sunderland match, 75,118 against
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
in a FA Cup sixth round replay.
Roker Park suffered a bombing in 1943, in which one corner of the stadium was destroyed. A
special constable was killed while patrolling the stadium. By the 1990s, the stadium was no longer large enough, and had no room for possible expansion. In January 1990, the
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report is the report of an inquiry which was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, into the causes of the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989, as a result of which, ...
was released after overcrowding at the
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is a 39,732-capacity association football stadium located in Owlerton, a north-western suburb of Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. It has been the home of Sheffield Wednesday since its opening in 1899.
The ground has been sub ...
resulted in 96 deaths, an incident known as the
Hillsborough Disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the ...
. The report recommended that all major stadiums must be converted to an all-seater design. As a result, Roker Park's capacity was reduced. It was demolished in 1997 and a housing estate built in its place.
In 1997, Sunderland moved to their present ground,
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...
in
Monkwearmouth
Monkwearmouth is an area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear in North East England. Monkwearmouth is located at the north side of the mouth of the River Wear. It was one of the three original settlements on the banks of the River Wear along with Bisho ...
, which was opened by
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...
. Built with an original capacity of 42,000, it hosted its first game against Dutch team
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
.
The stadium bears a similar name to the Portuguese club
Benfica's ground
Estádio da Luz
The Estádio da Luz (), officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, its ...
, albeit in a different language. A stadium expansion in 2000 saw the capacity increase to 49,000. A
Davy lamp
The Davy lamp is a safety lamp for use in flammable atmospheres, invented in 1815 by Sir Humphry Davy.[Durham Miners' Association
The Durham Miners' Association (DMA) was a trade union in the United Kingdom.
History
The union was founded in 1869 and its membership quickly rose to 4,000, but within a year had fallen back to 2,000. In December 1870, William Crawford becam ...](_blank)
, as a reminder of the
Monkwearmouth Colliery pit the stadium was built on.
Supporters and rivalries
Attendance and following
The club has had a historically large and passionate following, with the club seeing attendance figures larger than other more fashionable clubs. For instance a 2019 by the International Centre for Sports Studies (
CIES
The International Centre for Sports Studies, known mostly by the initials CIES from the French ''Centre International d'Etude du Sport'', is an independent, research and education organization, located in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
It had a resear ...
) showed that over the prior 5 seasons (2013 to 2018) Sunderland recorded the 38th highest average attendance in world football with an average of 39,249 fans at the
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...
. Sunderland's average attendance were higher over that period than perennial title challengers such as
Juventus F.C.
)''I Bianconeri'' (The White and Blacks)''Le Zebre'' (The Zebras)''La Signora Omicidi'' (The Killer Lady)''La Gheuba'' (: The Hunchback)
, founded = as Sport-Club Juventus
, ground = Juventus Stadium
, capacity = 41,507
, owner = Agnelli ...
in Italy and
FC Porto
Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...
in Portugal.
Despite relegation from the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
in 2017 the club has continued to post large annual average attendance figures, recording over 30,000 for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, enough for 16th in the country. Following relegation from
the Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
at the end of the 2017-18 season, Sunderland subsequently broke the
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
division attendance record on 26 December 2018 in a match against
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
with a total of 46,039 fans.
Popular songs, music and chants
A song Sunderland fans sing every game and has been described as the anthem of the club is a rendition of "
Can't Help Falling in Love" by
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, with "Sunderland" being sung repeatedly after "but I can't help falling in love with you."
Also, during Gus Poyet's tenure, Sunderland supporters started singing "
Things Can Only Get Better" by
D:Ream.
The fans launched a campaign to get the song back into the charts, to coincide with their team's 2014 League Cup Final. A day after the Final, the song re-entered the
UK Dance Chart
The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record ...
at number 19.
Two of the most famous
chants
A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...
by Sunderland supporters are "I'm Sunderland till I die" and "We're by far the greatest team, the world has ever seen" — with the former being chosen as the title of the Netflix show ''Sunderland 'Til I Die''. One of the oldest Sunderland chants is "Ha'way the lads" which was sung at Sunderland games as far back as the 1960s.
According to a
YouGov
YouGov is a British international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm, headquartered in the UK, with operations in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. In 2007, it acquired US company Polimetrix, and sinc ...
poll in 2014, supporters of Sunderland showed a tendency towards
left
Left may refer to:
Music
* ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006
* ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016
* "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996
Direction
* Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right
* L ...
politics.
They sometimes sing a version of "
The Red Flag
"The Red Flag" () is a socialist song, emphasising the sacrifices and solidarity of the international labour movement. It is the anthem of the British Labour Party, the Northern Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party and the Irish Labour P ...
" during games.
Fanzines and fan produced material
The fans most enduring
fanzine
A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...
is ''
A Love Supreme
''A Love Supreme'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. He recorded it in one session on December 9, 1964, at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, leading a quartet featuring pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Ga ...
''. The fanzine was first published in 1989 and has won several awards for best Fanzine. Since 2010 the online fanzine ''
Roker Report
Roker Report is an online fanzine, blog and accompanying series of podcasts and livestreams related to English football club Sunderland and the club's women's team. Roker Report has interviewed many high-profile former players and celebrities ...
'' has operated on the
SB Nation
''SB Nation'' (an abbreviation for their full name ''SportsBlogs Nation'') is a sports blogging network owned by Vox Media. It was co-founded by Tyler Bleszinski, Markos Moulitsas, and Jerome Armstrong in 2005. The blog from which the network ...
blogging network. Roker Report has since grown in popularity amongst Sunderland fans, producing daily articles and interaction with fans. In 2016 Roker Report started a podcast called RokerRapport which has three or four episodes weekly. They occasionally interview current and former footballers, managers, owners and prominent fans of Sunderland. Since 2013 an independent podcast called Wise Men Say was created and was initially one episode weekly, however it has since grown in popularity and now does three episodes weekly. In 2021 we began publishing opinion pieces on wisemensay.co.uk with a team of writers producing a wide range of features and informative articles. And, in 2021, the Wise Men Say Podcast was nominated Club Podcast of the Year at the 2021 Football Supporters Association Awards. In 2022, Wise Men Say reached 2million downloads through its host platform Acast. The club also previously had an official monthly subscription magazine, called the ''Legion of Light'', which season ticket holders received for no cost. Others in the past have been ''It's The Hope I Can't Stand'', ''Sex and Chocolate'', ''Wise Men Say'', and ''The Roker Roar'' (later ''The Wearside Roar'').
Supporters clubs and officially recognised organisations
According to the club there are over 70 branches of official Supporters' Clubs in England and around the world, including North Korea.
The Official clubs are represented collectively by a Branch Liaison Council that was formed in the 1970s.
In addition the club has had a SAFC Liaison Group (SLG) since 1994 that works with fans on club issues and an independent supporters group, the Red & White Army (RAWA).
Rivalries and close ties
Traditionally, Sunderland's two main rivals have been
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
and
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
, against whom the
Tyne–Wear derby
The Tyne–Wear derby, also known as the North East derby, is a local derby between the association football clubs Sunderland A.F.C., Sunderland and Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United. The derby is an inter-city rivalry in North East Englan ...
and
Tees–Wear derby are competed for respectively. Although both are generally geographically close, Newcastle are considered their main rivals. The club were rivals with fellow Sunderland-based team
Sunderland Albion
Sunderland Albion Football Club was an English association football club based in Sunderland, England, formed in 1888 and disbanded in 1892. The club was reformed in 2020 but has as of 2023 ceased operations again.
Summary
Sunderland Albion ...
in the 1880s and 1890s, a breakaway club formed by Sunderland's founder James Allan,
[Days, p. 19.] until the club was made defunct.
Sunderland also share good relations and a mutual friendship with Dutch club
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
; this was developed after Wearside shipbuilders found jobs in Rotterdam during the 1970s and 80s. The club also has good relations and a mutual friendship with
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
, with matches between the two clubs being known as the ''
Friendship Trophy
The Friendship Trophy is a association football, football match, contested on an irregular basis by just two teams: Norwich City F.C., Norwich City and Sunderland A.F.C., Sunderland. The match dates back to the camaraderie forged between fans of ...
,'' following good rapport in the
1985 Milk Cup final.
Charitable associations
In 2001, the chairman
Bob Murray established the
Foundation of Light
The Foundation of Light (Previously called the ''SAFC Foundation'') is a Registered Charity in the United Kingdom, and is the independent charitable foundation of professional football club Sunderland A.F.C. It is the biggest football charity in ...
charity, to help educational development through football, and offers learning centres in addition to scholarships. The organisation engaged 280 children within a year, and three years after foundation opened a £1.6m facility along with
double-decker bus
A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and also in cities such as Sydney; the best-known example is the ...
es redeveloped as classrooms.
In popular culture
Sunderland were the subject, together with
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
, of one of the earliest football paintings in the world – possibly the earliest – when in 1895 the artist Thomas M. M. Hemy painted a picture of a game between the teams at Sunderland's then ground
Newcastle Road
Newcastle Road was a football ground in the Monkwearmouth area of Sunderland, England, and was the home ground of Sunderland A.F.C for twelve years, between 1886 and 1898. It was the sixth ground at which the club had played. Also called ''As ...
.
![Thomas Hemy Sunderland v Aston Villa 1895 A Corner Kick](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Thomas_Hemy_Sunderland_v_Aston_Villa_1895_A_Corner_Kick.jpg)
In 1973, comedian
Bobby Knoxall
Robert McKenna MBE (24 December 1933 – 20 July 2009) was an English comedian, better known by his stage name Bobby Knoxall.
Early life
Knoxall was born in the East End of Sunderland in 1933 and attended St Patrick's School. Illiterate after ...
recorded "Sunderland All the Way" for the
1973 FA Cup Final
The 1973 FA Cup Final was the 92nd final of the FA Cup. It took place on 5 May 1973 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between Leeds United, the previous season's winners and one of the dominant teams in English football at the time, and Sunde ...
record.
In 1996, a group of Sunderland fans under the name Simply Red and White released a song called "Daydream Believer (Cheer Up Peter Reid)" to the melody of "
Daydream Believer
"Daydream Believer" is a song composed by American songwriter John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. It was originally recorded by the Monkees, with Davy Jones singing the lead. The single reached No. 1 on the U.S. ''Billboard ...
" dedicated to the manager
Peter Reid
Peter Reid (born 20 June 1956) is an English football manager, pundit and former player.
A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career. He built his reputation as one of England's brightest midfield tale ...
. The song peaked at number 41 in the UK Singles & Album Chart. The fans recorded the song due to the fact the manager often had a dour demeanour, whilst the team was doing well, and even won promotion at the end of the season.
Sunderland were mentioned in the May 1997
State Opening of Parliament
The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It includes a speech from the throne known as the King's (or Queen's) Speech. The event takes place ...
when
Chris Mullin
Christopher Paul Mullin (born July 30, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player, executive and coach. He is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (in 2010 as a memb ...
,
MP for
Sunderland South
Sunderland South was, from 1950 until 2010, a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
History
Sunderland S ...
, stated in his seconding of
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
's Gracious Speech:
Sunderland has been through hard times in the past, and has survived; as before, we will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and come out fighting. Sunderland looks to the future, not the past, and we shall soon be back in the Premier League.
In 1998 and following the demolition of Roker Park, playwright Tom Kelly and actor Paul Dunn created a one-man play called "I Left My Heart at Roker Park" about a fan struggling with the move and what Roker Park meant for him – the play originally ran in 1997, and has had a few revivals since.
In 1998, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
broadcast a six-part documentary named ''
Premier Passions
''Premier Passions'' was a six-part British documentary TV series, broadcast on BBC One between 24 February and 31 March 1998. It was narrated by actress and Sunderland fan Gina McKee, directed by John Alexander and produced by Stephen Lambert ...
''. It chronicled Sunderland's
1996–97 season, in which the club was
relegated
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
from the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, the year after winning
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
from the
Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...
, and the move to
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...
.
In 2018, Netflix released an eight-part documentary called
Sunderland 'Til I Die
''Sunderland 'Til I Die'' is a sports documentary series. Produced by Fulwell 73 (named as a homage to Sunderland A.F.C. by its founders), the series documents the events around English football club Sunderland A.F.C.
Released on 14 December 2 ...
. It documented the events around Sunderland's
2017–18 season which saw them relegated from the
EFL Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
.
As a result of the success of the first series, a second season was confirmed, despite opposition from many club members. The opposition was mostly to do with players fearing the series would cause their failures being associated with them for the rest of their careers.
Nicknames
![BLACK CATS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/BLACK_CATS.jpg)
Sunderland's official nickname is 'The Black Cats'. The name was made official in a public vote in 2000. Despite the nickname being made official only relatively recently, the black cat has been used as an emblem of the club throughout most of its history. Photographs exist of players holding a black cat which made Roker Park its home in the 1900s and 1910s, and which was fed and watered by the football club. The club's first official badge featured a black cat sitting prominently in its centre and since the 1960s the emblem of the Sunderland A.F.C. Supporters Association has been a black cat. A Sunderland supporter, Billy Morris, took a black cat in his chest pocket as a good luck charm to the 1937 FA Cup final in which Sunderland brought home the trophy for the first time and reference has also been made to a "Black Cat Battery", an
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...
based on the
River Wear
The River Wear (, ) in North East England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At long, it is one of the region's longest rivers, wends in a steep valley through th ...
during the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
.
Before this when the team still played at Roker Park, they were known as the Rokerites. This was made obsolete after the club left Roker Park for the Stadium of Light in 1997.
Other nicknames used by the media and include the
Mackems
Mackem, Makem or Mak'em a nickname for residents of and people from Sunderland, a city in North East England. It is also a name for the local dialect and accent (not to be confused with Geordie); and for a fan, of whatever origin, of Sunderland ...
(believed to be related to the ship building industry and a name for inhabitants of Sunderland) or the Wearsiders, as a reference to the river that the city and broader region of
Wearside
Wearside () is a built-up area in both Tyne and Wear and County Durham, Northern England. It is named after the River Wear which flows through it and traditionally all in the County of Durham. In the 2011 census, its official name was the Sunder ...
sits alongside, and in contrast to their
Tyneside
Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt.
The population of Tyneside as published i ...
rivals Newcastle United.
As well as club nicknames, names have been used to define memorable periods in the club's history. The "Team of All Talents" moniker was used during Sunderland's successful period in the 1890s,
and Sunderland were known as the "
Bank of England club
The Bank of England club is a nickname in English association football for a football club which has a strong financial backing. It was used to refer to Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Aston Villa and Blackpool in the 1930s as well as in recent times ...
" during the 1950s. This was in reference to the club's spending in the
transfer market The transfer market is the arena in which football players are available for transfer to clubs.
The transfer market consists of a list of players available for transfer, and also the money moving between clubs as they contest to purchase and sell t ...
at the time, which saw the transfer-record broken twice.
Statistics and records
![Sunderland AFC League Performance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Sunderland_AFC_League_Performance.svg)
The holder of the record for the most league appearances is
Jimmy Montgomery
Jimmy Montgomery BEM (born 9 October 1943) is an English retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made a record 627 appearances for his hometown club Sunderland with 537 of these appearances being in the league, after joining the cl ...
, having made 527 first team appearances between 1961 and 1976. The club's top league goal scorer is
Charlie Buchan
Charles Murray Buchan (22 September 1891 – 25 June 1960) was an English footballer, sporting journalist and commentator.
Buchan started his career in 1909 with Woolwich Arsenal (later renamed Arsenal F.C.). He is known for his career with Su ...
, who scored 209 goals from 1911 to 1925;
Bobby Gurney
Bobby Gurney (13 October 1907 – 14 April 1994) was a football forward who is the highest goal scorer in the history of his only senior club as a player, Sunderland.
Early years
Born in Stewart Street, Silksworth, Sunderland, his father J ...
is the record goalscorer over all competitions with 228 goals between 1926 and 1939.
Dave Halliday
David Halliday (11 December 1901 – 5 January 1970) was a Scottish association football player and manager. He achieved numerous distinctions and high rankings as a prolific goal-scoring forward with six senior clubs; St Mirren, Dundee, Sunder ...
holds the record for the most goals scored in a season: 43 in the
1928–29 season in the Football League First Division.
As of October 2014
John O'Shea
John Francis O'Shea (; born 30 April 1981) is an Irish professional football coach and former player. He was known for his versatility in playing several positions on either side of the pitch or the centre.
Born in Waterford, O'Shea joined Man ...
is the most capped player for the club, making 100 appearances for the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
.
The club's widest victory margin in the league was in the 9–1 win against Newcastle United in the First Division in 1908. Sunderland's biggest ever win in the FA cup was against Fair field (a non-league team) and the final score was 11–1.
Their heaviest defeats in the league were 8–0 against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
in 1911,
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
in 1968,
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
in 1982 and
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in 2014
[Mason, p. 443.] Sunderland joined the top division in England,
The Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
, in the
1890–91 season and were not relegated until
1957–58 (a span of 67 seasons). In October 2015, Sunderland defeated rivals Newcastle United for the sixth consecutive time, a new record.
Sunderland's record home attendance is 75,200, set during a sixth round FA Cup replay against Derby County on 8 March 1933.
Record goalscorers
Ten Sunderland players have scored 100 goals or more in league competitions.
They are as follows:
Bobby Gurney holds the record number of goals in all competitions with a combined total of 228 in league and cup games.
Transfers
The biggest transfer fee Sunderland have ever received for one of their players is £30 million for
Jordan Pickford
Jordan Lee Pickford (' Logan; born 7 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Everton and the England national team.
Pickford has previously played for Sunderland's academy, reserve, and senior te ...
, who moved to
Everton in July 2017.
This was also the biggest fee Sunderland have received for a player produced by the Sunderland academy. The biggest transfer fee paid by Sunderland is £13 million for
Asamoah Gyan
Asamoah Gyan ( ; born 22 November 1985) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who last played as a striker for Legon Cities FC and is the former captain of the Ghanaian national team.
Gyan began his career in 2003 with Ghanaian Premier Leag ...
, who was bought from
Rennes
Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...
on 31 August 2010.
Overall
*Seasons spent at Level 1 of the
football league system
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
: 86
*Seasons spent at Level 2 of the football league system: 30
*Seasons spent at Level 3 of the football league system: 5
*Seasons spent at Level 4 of the football league system: 0
As of the
2021–22 season
Kit sponsorship
The first sponsor to appear on Sunderland kits was Cowie's, the business group of then chairman
Tom Cowie
Sir Thomas Cowie (9 September 1922 – 18 January 2012) was an English businessman who was the honorary Life President of the Arriva Group, formerly known as Cowie Group plc.
Career
Cowie Group
Cowie's father, Thomas Stephenson Knowles Cowie ...
, between 1983 and 1985.
The club was sponsored by the
Vaux Breweries
Vaux Brewery was a major brewer and hotel owner based in Sunderland, England. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange. It was taken over by Whitbread in 2000.
History
The company was founded in 1806 by Cuthbert Vaux (1779–1850), p ...
between 1985 and 1999, with drink brands such as Lambtons sometimes appearing on kits. Subsequently, the club were sponsored by Sunderland car dealership company Reg Vardy from 1999 to 2007.
Sunderland were sponsored by the Irish bookmaker
Boylesports, who signed a four-year contract with the club in 2007 estimated to be worth £8 million. In April 2010, Sunderland signed a two-year shirt sponsorship deal with
tombola, a local online bingo company. On 25 June 2012, Sunderland announced the strengthening of their partnership with the Invest in Africa initiative, with the initiative becoming the club's shirt sponsor for two years. The project is closely linked with
Tullow Oil
Tullow Oil plc is a multinational oil and gas exploration company founded in Tullow, Ireland, with its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
His ...
. However, after a year the club announced a new sponsorship deal with South African company
Bidvest
The Bidvest Group Limited also known as Bidvest Group or Bidvest is a South African services, trading, and distribution company.
History
Bidvest was founded in 1988 by Brian Joffe and listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1990. The B ...
. On 1 June 2015 Sunderland announced a new sponsorship with
Dafabet
Dafabet is an online betting site. The company was founded on 7 November 2004 and is headquartered in Makati, Philippines.
History
Dafabet was founded on November 7, 2004, in Makati, Philippines under the subsidiary of the privately-owned com ...
to appear on the kits for the following season.
The first kit manufacturer to appear on Sunderland kits was
Umbro
Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 100 c ...
, between 1975 and 1981. French brand
Le Coq Sportif
Le Coq Sportif (, "the athletic rooster") is a French manufacturing company of sports equipment. Founded in 1882 by Émile Camuset and located in Entzheim, the company first issued items branded with its now-famous rooster trademark in 1948. The ...
produced kits between 1981 and 1983.
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
's first stint as kit manufacturer came between 1983 and 1986, before kits from
Patrick Patrick may refer to:
* Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name
* Patrick (surname), list of people with this name
People
* Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint
*Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...
(1986–88),
Hummel (1988–94), Avec (1994–97) and
Asics (1997–00). Nike returned between 2000 and 2004.
Diadora
Diadora is an Italian sportswear and footwear manufacturing company based in Caerano di San Marco (Veneto), subsidiary of Geox, founded in 1948. Diadora produces football boots and athletic shoes, as well as a range of apparel that includes ...
produced kits for a solitary season, 2004–05, and
Lonsdale made kits between 2005 and 2007. Umbro returned for five seasons between 2007 and 2012, before
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
became the club's kit manufacturer for the first time in 2012. Nike then returned for a third time as Sunderland's kit manufacturer in 2020.
, - align="center"
!Period
!Kit manufacturer
!Shirt sponsor
, - align="center"
, 1975–81
, ,
Umbro
Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 100 c ...
, rowspan=2,
, - align="center"
, 1981–83
, ,
Le Coq Sportif
Le Coq Sportif (, "the athletic rooster") is a French manufacturing company of sports equipment. Founded in 1882 by Émile Camuset and located in Entzheim, the company first issued items branded with its now-famous rooster trademark in 1948. The ...
, - align="center"
, 1983–85
, rowspan=2,
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
, , Cowie's
, - align="center"
, 1985–86
, rowspan=5,
Vaux Breweries
Vaux Brewery was a major brewer and hotel owner based in Sunderland, England. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange. It was taken over by Whitbread in 2000.
History
The company was founded in 1806 by Cuthbert Vaux (1779–1850), p ...
, - align="center"
, 1986–88
, ,
Patrick Patrick may refer to:
* Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name
* Patrick (surname), list of people with this name
People
* Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint
*Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...
, - align="center"
, 1988–94
, ,
Hummel
, - align="center"
, 1994–97
, , Avec
, - align="center"
, 1997-00
, ,
Asics
, - align="center"
, 2000–04
, ,
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
, rowspan=3, Reg Vardy
, - align="center"
, 2004–05
, ,
Diadora
Diadora is an Italian sportswear and footwear manufacturing company based in Caerano di San Marco (Veneto), subsidiary of Geox, founded in 1948. Diadora produces football boots and athletic shoes, as well as a range of apparel that includes ...
, - align="center"
, 2005–07
, ,
Lonsdale
, - align="center"
, 2007–10
, rowspan=2,
Umbro
Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 100 c ...
, ,
Boylesports
, - align="center"
, 2010–12
, ,
Tombola
, - align="center"
, 2012–13
, rowspan=5,
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
, , Invest In Africa
, - align="center"
, 2013–15
, ,
Bidvest
The Bidvest Group Limited also known as Bidvest Group or Bidvest is a South African services, trading, and distribution company.
History
Bidvest was founded in 1988 by Brian Joffe and listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1990. The B ...
, - align="center"
, 2015–18
, ,
Dafabet
Dafabet is an online betting site. The company was founded on 7 November 2004 and is headquartered in Makati, Philippines.
History
Dafabet was founded on November 7, 2004, in Makati, Philippines under the subsidiary of the privately-owned com ...
, - align="center"
, 2018–19
, ,
Betdaq
Betdaq is a gambling company which operates the world's second largest online betting exchange. The company was founded by Irish businessman Dermot Desmond in 2000 and started trading one year later. In 2013, Betdaq was sold to Ladbrokes for â‚ ...
, - align="center"
, 2019–20
, rowspan=1,
Children with Cancer UK
Children with Cancer UK (formerly Children with Leukaemia) is a United Kingdom-based charity dedicated to raising money for research and providing care for children with cancer and their families. The aims of their research projects are to underst ...
, - align="center"
, 2020–22
, rowspan=2,
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
, , Great Annual Savings Group
, - align="center"
, 2022–23
, ,
Spreadex Sports
, - align="center"
, - align="center"
Players
First team squad
Out on loan
Notable players
Reserves and academy
Club officials
Coaching staff
''Information correct as of 5 October 2022''
Board of Directors
''Information correct as of 22 June 2022''
Honours
The following are the honours Sunderland have achieved since their foundation in 1879.
League
*
First Division/
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
(Tier 1)
** Winners (6):
1891–92,
1892–93,
1894–95,
1901–02,
1912–13,
1935–36
** Runners-up (5):
1893–94,
1897–98,
1900–01,
1922–23,
1934–35
*
Second Division/First Division/Championship (Tier 2)
** Winners (5):
1975–76,
1995–96,
1998–99,
2004–05,
2006–07
** Promoted:
1963–64,
1979–80
** Play-off winners:
1989–901
*
Third Division/Second Division/League One (Tier 3)
** Winners (1):
1987–88
** Play-off winners:
2021–22
1: Due to financial irregularities, Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
(play-off Final winners) were prevented from taking their place in the top division, which was awarded to the losing finalists, Sunderland.
Cup
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
** Winners:
1936–37,
1972–73
** Runners-up:
1912–13,
1991–92
*
Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
** Runners-up:
1984–85,
2013–14
*
EFL Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
** Winners:
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
** Runners-up:
2018–19
*
FA Charity Shield
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...
** Winners:
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
** Runners-up:
1937
Events
January
* January 1 – Anastasio Somoza GarcÃa becomes President of Nicaragua.
* January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...
*
Sheriff of London Charity Shield
The Sheriff of London Charity Shield, also known as the Dewar Shield, was a football competition played annually between the best amateur and best professional club in England, though Scottish amateur side Queens Park also took part in 1899. The ...
** Winners:
1903
Events January
* January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India.
* January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having been ...
Other
*
BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award
The BBC Sports Team of the Year Award is an award given annually as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony each December. Currently, the award is given " r the team in an individual sport or sporting discipline that has achiev ...
** Winners: 1973
*
Football World Championship
The Football World Championship, also known as the United Kingdom Championship or the International Club Championship, was a exhibition association football match played between the English and Scottish club champions on a regular, but not annual ...
** Winners: 1892, 1893,
1895
Events
January–March
* January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
* January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*
Sunderland AFC StatisticsSunderland play-off record
SAFC Stats and Season Reviews from 1890–1891 to dateThe last pass The role of football clubs in WW1 including Jimmy Seed
{{Authority control
1879 establishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1879
FA Cup winners
EFL Trophy winners
Football clubs in England
Football clubs in Tyne and Wear
English Football League clubs
Premier League clubs
United Soccer Association imported teams
Mining association football teams in England
Sunderland