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Sunderland Association Football Club (, ) is an English professional football club based in the city of Sunderland,
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, Newc ...
. 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 in 1936 and being finalists the following year. Sunderland have also been Football League Cup 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 opposing ...
, 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 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, 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 and Newcastle United. The derby is an inter-city rivalry in North East England with the two cities of Sunderland and Ne ...
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 afte ...
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. Sunderland joined
The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
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. 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'' (f ...
'' 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 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 populat ...
.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)

On 5 December 1908, Sunderland achieved their highest ever league win, 9–1 against north-east rivals Newcastle United. Under Irish manager Bob Kyle 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 Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...
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, Sunde ...
. 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 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 original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
. 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 w ...
.


"The Bank of England" club, financial troubles and three cup finals (1945–1995)

For Sunderland, the immediate post-war years were characterised by significant spending; the club paid £18,000 (£ today) for Carlisle United'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 United ...
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 ...
, led to a contemporary nickname, the " Bank of England club". 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 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...
, 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 minim ...
, 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. 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 ...
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 tourn ...
, 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. 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 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 the County Ground sin ...
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. Sunderland's next outing in a major final came in 1992 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 Fo ...
, 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, 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 boo ...
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 association football, footballer who played for Portsmouth F.C., Portsmouth, Sunderland A.F.C., Sunderland, Fulham F.C., Fulham and Burnley F.C., Burnley. Since his retirement, ...
.


Drumaville Consortium takeover and Ellis Short era (2006–2016)

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 S ...
, who appointed former Manchester United captain Roy Keane 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 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. ...
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 was announced as his replacement, and led Sunderland to the 2014 Football League Cup Final, where they were defeated 3–1 by Manchester City F.C., Manchester City. In March 2015 Poyet was sacked, and veteran Dutchman Dick Advocaat was appointed, saving the club from relegation. Eight games into the 2015–16 season he resigned from the position. Sam Allardyce 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 football team, England national team, and David Moyes 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, 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 was announced as the new manager. The club made a very poor start to the 2017–18 EFL Championship season (which was documented in the Netflix series ''Sunderland 'Til I Die'') and Grayson was sacked at the end of October, with Chris Coleman (footballer), Chris Coleman replacing him. In April 2018, after a second consecutive relegation, this time to EFL League One, League One, the club was sold to a group led by Stewart Donald and Coleman was released from his contract. Jack Ross (footballer, born 1976), 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 2019 EFL Trophy Final, EFL Trophy and finished 5th and reached the play-off final, but lost to Charlton Athletic F.C., Charlton Athletic at Wembley. After a disappointing start to the following 2019–20 season, Ross was sacked. He was replaced by former Bolton manager Phil Parkinson. 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. Parkinson was sacked in November 2020 and was replaced by Lee Johnson (footballer), Lee Johnson the following month. Later that month, the club reached an agreement with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus 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 F.C., 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 City F.C., Norwich manager Alex Neil (footballer), Alex Neil was appointed as head coach, following the dismissal of Lee Johnson (footballer), Lee Johnson after a 6–0 loss to Bolton Wanderers, Bolton 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 2-1 on aggregate, and went on to beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 in the final to secure a return to the EFL Championship, second flight of English football, having languished in League One for four seasons.


Colours and crest

Sunderland played in an all blue Kit (association football), strip 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 in English football, 1887–88 season. Their badge included a ship, the upper part of the Coat of arms of Sunderland, 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 and the lower right section shows the Wearmouth Bridge. 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, Sunderland, Hendon 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 in 1882 for one season. The club's third stadium was Horatio Street in Roker, the first Sunderland stadium north of the River Wear; the club played a single season there before another move, this time to Abbs Field in Fulwell, Tyne and Wear, Fulwell for two seasons. Abbs Field was notable for being the first Sunderland ground to which they charged admission. Sunderland moved to Newcastle Road (stadium), Newcastle Road 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 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 F.C., Derby County 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 was released after overcrowding at the Hillsborough Stadium resulted in 96 deaths, an incident known as the Hillsborough Disaster. 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 in Monkwearmouth, which was opened by Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Built with an original capacity of 42,000, it hosted its first game against Dutch team AFC Ajax, Ajax. The stadium bears a similar name to the Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, Benfica's ground Estádio da Luz, albeit in a different language. A stadium expansion in 2000 saw the capacity increase to 49,000. A Davy lamp monument stands outside the stadium, and a miners banner was presented to the club by the Durham Miners' Association, 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) 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. Sunderland's average attendance were higher over that period than perennial title challengers such as Juventus F.C. in Italy and FC Porto 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 Fo ...
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 at the end of the 2017-18 season, Sunderland subsequently broke the League One division attendance record on 26 December 2018 in a match against Bradford City 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, 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 (D:Ream song), Things Can Only Get Better" by D Ream, 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 Singles and Albums Charts, UK Dance Chart at number 19. Two of the most famous Football chant, chants 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 poll in 2014, supporters of Sunderland showed a tendency towards left-wing, left politics. They sometimes sing a version of "The Red Flag" during games.


Fanzines and fan produced material

The fans most enduring fanzine is ''A Love Supreme (Sunderland), A Love Supreme''. The fanzine was first published in 1989 and has won several awards for best Fanzine. Since 2010 the online fanzine ''Roker Report'' has operated on the SB Nation 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 and Middlesbrough F.C., Middlesbrough, 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 and Newcastle United. The derby is an inter-city rivalry in North East England with the two cities of Sunderland and Ne ...
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 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; 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,'' following good rapport in the 1985 Football League Cup Final, 1985 Milk Cup final.


Charitable associations

In 2001, the chairman Bob Murray established the Foundation of Light 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 buses redeveloped as classrooms.


In popular culture

Sunderland were the subject, together with Aston Villa FC, Aston Villa, 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 ...
. In 1973, comedian Bobby Knoxall recorded "Sunderland All the Way" for the 1973 FA Cup Final 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" 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 when Chris Mullin (politician), Chris Mullin, Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP for Sunderland South (UK Parliament constituency), Sunderland South, stated in his seconding of Queen Elizabeth II'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 broadcast a six-part documentary named ''Premier Passions''. It chronicled Sunderland's 1996–97 in English football, 1996–97 season, in which the club was Promotion and relegation, relegated 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 Fo ...
, the year after winning promotion and relegation, promotion from the Football League First Division, and the move to Stadium of Light. In 2018, Netflix released an eight-part documentary called Sunderland 'Til I Die. It documented the events around Sunderland's 2017-18 Sunderland A.F.C. season, 2017–18 season which saw them relegated from the EFL Championship. 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

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 based on the River Wear during the Napoleonic Wars. 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 (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 sits alongside, and in contrast to their Tyneside 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" during the 1950s. This was in reference to the club's spending in the transfer market at the time, which saw the transfer-record broken twice.


Statistics and records

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, 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, Sunde ...
holds the record for the most goals scored in a season: 43 in the 1928–29 in English football, 1928–29 season in the Football League First Division. As of October 2014 John O'Shea is the most capped player for the club, making 100 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national football team, Republic of Ireland. 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 F.C., Sheffield Wednesday 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 F.C., Watford 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 2014Mason, p. 443. Sunderland joined the top division in England, The Football League, in the 1890–91 in English football, 1890–91 season and were not relegated until 1957–58 in English football, 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, who moved to Everton F.C., 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 Stade Rennais F.C., Rennes on 31 August 2010.


Overall

*Seasons spent at Level 1 of the English football league system, football league system: 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 Sunderland A.F.C. season, 2021–22 season


Kit sponsorship

The first sponsor to appear on Sunderland kits was Cowie's, the business group of then chairman Tom Cowie, between 1983 and 1985. The club was sponsored by the Vaux Breweries 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 (bingo company), 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. However, after a year the club announced a new sponsorship deal with South African company Bidvest Group, Bidvest. On 1 June 2015 Sunderland announced a new sponsorship with Dafabet to appear on the kits for the following season. The first kit manufacturer to appear on Sunderland kits was Umbro, between 1975 and 1981. French brand Le Coq Sportif produced kits between 1981 and 1983. Nike, Inc., Nike's first stint as kit manufacturer came between 1983 and 1986, before kits from Patrick (sportswear), Patrick (1986–88), Hummel International, Hummel (1988–94), Avec (1994–97) and ASICS, Asics (1997–00). Nike returned between 2000 and 2004. Diadora produced kits for a solitary season, 2004–05, and Lonsdale (clothing), Lonsdale made kits between 2005 and 2007. Umbro returned for five seasons between 2007 and 2012, before Adidas 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 , rowspan=2, , - align="center" , 1981–83 , , Le Coq Sportif , - align="center" , 1983–85 , rowspan=2, Nike, Inc., Nike , , Cowie's , - align="center" , 1985–86 , rowspan=5, Vaux Breweries , - align="center" , 1986–88 , , Patrick (sportswear company), Patrick , - align="center" , 1988–94 , , Hummel International, Hummel , - align="center" , 1994–97 , , Avec , - align="center" , 1997-00 , , ASICS, Asics , - align="center" , 2000–04 , , Nike, Inc., Nike , rowspan=3, Reg Vardy , - align="center" , 2004–05 , , Diadora , - align="center" , 2005–07 , , Lonsdale (clothing), Lonsdale , - align="center" , 2007–10 , rowspan=2, Umbro , , Boylesports , - align="center" , 2010–12 , , Tombola (bingo company), Tombola , - align="center" , 2012–13 , rowspan=5, Adidas , , Invest In Africa , - align="center" , 2013–15 , , Bidvest Group, Bidvest , - align="center" , 2015–18 , , Dafabet , - align="center" , 2018–19 , , Betdaq , - align="center" , 2019–20 , rowspan=1, Children with Cancer UK , - align="center" , 2020–22 , rowspan=2, Nike, Inc., Nike , , Great Annual Savings Group , - align="center" , 2022–23 , , Spreadex, 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

* List of English football champions, 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 Fo ...
(Tier 1) ** Winners (6): 1891–92 Football League, 1891–92, 1892–93 Football League, 1892–93, 1894–95 Football League, 1894–95, 1901–02 Football League, 1901–02, 1912–13 Football League#First Division, 1912–13, 1935–36 Football League#First Division, 1935–36 ** Runners-up (5): 1893–94 Football League, 1893–94, 1897–98 Football League, 1897–98, 1900–01 in English football, 1900–01, 1922–23 Football League#First Division, 1922–23, 1934–35 Football League#First Division, 1934–35 * List of winners of the EFL Championship and predecessors, Second Division/First Division/Championship (Tier 2) ** Winners (5): 1975–76 Football League#Second Division, 1975–76, 1995–96 Football League#First Division, 1995–96, 1998–99 Football League#First Division, 1998–99, 2004–05 Football League Championship, 2004–05, 2006–07 Football League Championship, 2006–07 ** Promoted: 1963–64 Football League#Second Division, 1963–64, 1979–80 Football League#Second Division, 1979–80 ** Play-off winners: 1990 Football League Second Division play-off Final, 1989–901 * List of winners of the EFL League One and predecessors, Third Division/Second Division/League One (Tier 3) ** Winners (1): 1987–88 in English football, 1987–88 ** Play-off winners: 2022 EFL League One play-off Final, 2021–22 1: Due to financial irregularities,
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional 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 the County Ground sin ...
(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: 1937 FA Cup Final, 1936–37, 1973 FA Cup Final, 1972–73 ** Runners-up: 1913 FA Cup Final, 1912–13, 1992 FA Cup Final, 1991–92 * EFL Cup, Football League Cup ** Runners-up: 1985 Football League Cup Final, 1984–85, 2014 Football League Cup Final, 2013–14 * EFL Trophy ** Winners: 2021 EFL Trophy Final, 2020–21 ** Runners-up: 2019 EFL Trophy Final, 2018–19 * FA Charity Shield ** Winners: 1936 FA Charity Shield, 1936 ** Runners-up: 1937 FA Charity Shield, 1937 *
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: 1902–03 in English football, 1903


Other

* BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award ** Winners: 1973 * Football World Championship ** Winners: 1892, 1893, 1895 World Championship (football), 1895


References


Further reading

* * *


External links

*
Sunderland AFC Statistics

Sunderland play-off record

SAFC Stats and Season Reviews from 1890–1891 to date

The last pass The role of football clubs in WW1 including Jimmy Seed
{{Authority control Sunderland A.F.C., 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