It was opened on 10 September 1898, and the home team played a match the same day against Liverpool,[137] which they won. [111] In the club's first season in League One they got to the final of the EFL Trophy and finished 5th and reached the play-off final, but lost to Charlton Athletic at Wembley. [101] Under Moyes, Sunderland made the worst ever start to a Premier League season, taking just two points from their opening 10 matches. [28] Campbell did not achieve the same playing success as former manager Watson, as Sunderland failed to win any titles in his three seasons at the club, which he left in the 189899 season to join Bristol City. [153] In the 200405 season, Sunderland finished at the top of the table in Division One, now rechristened the Football League Championship, and thus returned to the Premier League. [42] Other prominent players of that period's Sunderland was George Holley, who was league top scorer in the season before the title, and Scottish Charles Thomson who captained the club. [79] Ford was sold on to Cardiff City in November 1953.[80]. A first half goal by Scotsman Ian Porterfield was the only goal of the game. [31], In December 1902, Sunderland joined Arthur Bridgett. In September 2001, Sunderland chairman Bob Murray announced the separation of Sunderland's charitable and community work from the mainstream club activity, and the independent SAFC Foundation was created. [77][78], Short replaced Quinn as chairman in October 2011, with Quinn initially becoming Director of International Development;[79] he left the club with immediate effect in February 2012. Nike returned between 2000 and 2004. [67] The League resumed the following season, Sunderland finishing in ninth place. - BBC Sport", "Sunderland beat Morecambe to secure play-off spot", "Roberts goal sends Sunderland to play-off final", "Sunderland back in Championship after play-off win", "Views divided on Sunderland AFC's new badge", "Lord Taylor's final report on the Hillsborough stadium disaster (zipped pdf)", "Sunderland harnessing fanbase bigger than Valencia, Porto and Juventus", "CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report n44 - April 2019 Attendances in football stadia (2003-2018)", "The amazing Sunderland attendance statistic which shows how loyal Black Cats fans are", "The astonishing average attendances of England's biggest clubs - where do Sunderland AFC rank? Sunderland were mentioned in the May 1997 State Opening of Parliament when Chris Mullin, MP for 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. Explore each and every one of the trophies won by the club in the grid below. [143] They clinched promotion at Bury by winning 52. He went on to captain the "Black Cats" for ten years and gain his eleven England caps, making him Sunderland's second most-capped England International behind Dave Watson. Kyle achieved his only League championship in charge of Sunderland in the 191213 season, when they won the League with 54 points. In 200102 Sunderland narrowly avoided relegation. Sunderland soar back to Championship with playoff final win over Wycombe Ben Fisher at Wembley Sat 21 May 2022 12.01 EDT Last modified on Sun 22 May 2022 00.34 EDT Alex Neil walked into his. [170] Paolo Di Canio was announced has his replacement the following day,[171] bringing his own backroom staff. [52] They stayed up for one year before being relegated on the final day of the following season. [187], Sunderland's official nickname is "The Black Cats". What Trophies Sunderland won? Irish-American tycoon Ellis Short completed a full takeover of the club from the Irish Drumaville Consortium,[165] and Steve Bruce was announced as the new manager on 3 June 2008. The young goalkeeper of the team, Jimmy Thorpe, died as a result of a kick in the head and chest after he had picked up the ball following a backpass in a game against Chelsea at Roker Park. For a season-by-season statistical breakdown, see, List of Sunderland A.F.C. [142][143] Despite relegation from the Premier League 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. [191] On 21 May, he officially became owner of Sunderland, doing so without the consortium to speed the transition.[192]. 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". [160] Sunderland secured their Premier League status for the 200809 season after a derby victory over Middlesbrough, and with teams below failing to win. [6], Competitive matches only, appearances including substitutes appear in brackets.[8]. In 1973, as a Second Division side, Sunderland reached the FA Cup Final, where they beat the cup-holders Leeds United. Over 40,000fans travelled from the North-East to see the game against Charlton Athletic. Wearsiders' nickname explained", "Sunderland break transfer record to sign Rennes striker Asamoah Gyan", "Sunderland steps up African partnership", "Sunderland AFC announce new shirt sponsor will be eGaming operator Dafabet", SAFC Stats and Season Reviews from 18901891 to date, The last pass The role of football clubs in WW1 including Jimmy Seed, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sunderland_A.F.C.&oldid=1152181018, 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, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 18:08. [84] Two finishes in third place followed in the 196162 and 196263 seasons, Sunderland in each case missing out on promotion by just one position. [17], Scotsman Alex Mackie replaced Campbell as manager for the 1899 season. [101], Sunderland celebrated their centenary in the 197980 season with a testimonial match. [63] The FA Cup was also suspended, but a replacement tournament, the Football League War Cup, was introduced. After Sunderland had played through three months of the 196465 season without a manager, George Hardwick took over on a caretaker basis,[88] until Ian McColl was appointed on a permanent basis at the end of the season. Subsequently, the club were sponsored by Sunderland car dealership company Reg Vardy from 1999 to 2007. [155] They sometimes sing a version of "The Red Flag" during games.[156]. And, like Bob Stokoe's FA Cup heroes of '73, Peter Reid's class of '98 duly crushed . [146][147][148], 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. [133] 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,[134] this time to Abbs Field in Fulwell for two seasons. [34] Broadis was also Carlisle's manager at the time, and this is the first instance of a player transferring himself to another club. ", "Sunderland's North Korea fan club: Supporter aims to build fan base", "What the heck is the Friendship Trophy? [15] Initially the ground had a capacity of 30,000. [98] Sam Allardyce was appointed the next manager in October 2015, and the club was again saved from relegation at the end of the season. [179], Poyet took over at Sunderland during the 2013-14 Premier League campaign. along the way and despite eventually falling out of the top tier - a [108] In April 2018, after a second consecutive relegation, this time to League One,[109] the club was sold to a group led by Stewart Donald and Coleman was released from his contract. Their first kit was an all blue strip, a contrast to the red and white stripes they play in currently. The League Two side had begun their run in September 2019 with a. First FA Cup match: Redcar 31 Sunderland, 8 November 1884. Ad 4) Arsenal -. In 1997, Sunderland left Roker Park[58][59] 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. [3] However, evidence suggests that the club was not formally created until a year later, on 25 September 1880. [146] Later, the foundation came to be known as the Foundation of Light. [47] They beat Vasas Budapest but then lost on aggregate to Sporting of Portugal in the second round. After a close call in the previous season, the club was promoted to Division One in 1964 after finishing in second place. Di Canio was sacked after a poor start to the 201314 season, and reports of a complete breakdown in relations with his players. [34][81] In the aftermath of the event, manager Bill Murray was replaced by Alan Brown. [10][11][12] Their goalkeeper Ned Doig set a 19th-century world record by not conceding any goals in 87 of his 290 top division appearances (30%). [169], 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. You have to go back 11 years to Roy Keane's time in charge for the last time Black Cats fans saw their side put . [164] Despite promising early results, the team continued to struggle and narrowly avoided relegation from the Premiership on the last day of the season, after which Sbragia resigned from his post. They have also been runners-up on a further five occasions: in 1894, 1898, 1901, 1923 and 1935 (see Sunderland A.F.C. [33][34] McCombie however, saw the money as a gift and refused to pay back the club. [106] He lasted two years, before being sacked in the 198384 season after a defeat by Manchester United. 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,[167] until the club was made defunct. The Eastleigh chairman set to take control of Sunderland", "Sunderland: Prospective owner Stewart Donald agrees sale of Eastleigh", "Sunderland: Stewart Donald completes takeover from Ellis Short", "Jack Ross: Sunderland name St Mirren boss as new manager", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_Sunderland_A.F.C.&oldid=1148929443, This page was last edited on 9 April 2023, at 03:54. In 1973 and then in the old Second Division, they stunned Don Revie's all-star Leeds United team. Yeovil were a non-League club at the time, but beat Division One side Sunderland 21 to knock them out of the Cup. The club has had a historically large and passionate following, with the club seeing attendance figures larger than other more fashionable clubs. [82] Sunderland won their game 20,[83] but Birmingham could not prevent Leicester from winning, thus Sunderland were relegated. [15], They came close to winning three successive League championships in the 189394 season, when they finished as runners-up to Aston Villa. [38] Found guilty of making payments to players in excess of the maximum wage, they were fined 5,000 (128,000 today), and their chairman and three directors were suspended. Video Loading. [48], In April 1925, Sunderland completed the signing of centre forward Dave Halliday, after Buchan left for Arsenal. [116], After just one season in the First Division, Sunderland were relegated again. [34][81] The club's chairman and chief financial officer, along with three other club directors, were permanently suspended. 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. [53], Sunderland's next outing in a major final came in 1992 when, as a Second Division club, they returned to the FA Cup final. In 1958, with Brown in charge, Sunderland were relegated from Division One for the first time in their history,[82] bringing their 68-year stay in England's top division to an end. They played an "England XI", featuring players from Newcastle United and from Middlesbrough; they lost the game 20. At the League's annual meeting that considered this application, Sunderland offered to pay towards other clubs' travelling costs, to compensate for the extra distance these club would need to travel. [57], The League championship led to Sunderland playing in the Charity Shield against FA Cup-winners Arsenal. It chronicled Sunderland's 199697 season, in which the club was relegated from the Premier League, the year after winning promotion from the Football League First Division, and the move to Stadium of Light. [80] Bruce was sacked in November 2011,[81][82] and replaced by Martin O'Neill. Manager Sam Allardyce was sacked during the season and replaced by David Moyes, but that did not change the club's fortunes. [20], In their first three league titles, Johnny Campbell was the top scorer of the league. The club's widest victory margin in the league was in the 91 win against Newcastle United in the First Division in 1908. [34][70] In the 194849 season, Sunderland visited Yeovil Town in the fourth round of the FA Cup. [122] In a period which included six managers in ten years, Buxton was sacked in 1995. April 24, 2023, 11:01 a.m. [47] In the 192324 season Sunderland were involved in a dispute with the English and Scottish national teams. In 2022, Wise Men Say reached 2million downloads through its host platform Acast. They last won the Premier League title in the 2003-04 season, the famous 'Invincibles' campaign as they didn't lose any of their 38 games that season. [5] Tom Watson became Sunderland's first manager when he was appointed in 1888. [126] In 1972 the badge was changed,[127] removing the black cat but still including a ship, a football and the background of red and white stripes. Sunderland's biggest ever win in the FA cup was against Fair field (a non-league team) and the final score was 111. Built with an original capacity of 42,000, it hosted its first game against Dutch team Ajax. Sunderland have also been Football League Cup finalists in 1985 and 2014. [11] They replaced Stoke, one of the original League founding members, who failed to be re-elected. [5] Roker Park suffered a bombing in 1943, in which one corner of the stadium was destroyed. 20: Manchester United: 19: Liverpool FC: 13: Arsenal FC: 9: Everton FC: 8: Manchester City The original ground capacity was 42,000 which was increased to 49,000 following expansion in 2000. [55], Despite winning the league, the seasons did not go without tragedy. 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. [68] In the 194748 season the club finished in twentieth place, on the brink of being relegated from the League's Division one for the first time. All figures are based on the maximum potential fee and are correct as at 1 September 2013. [182][183], In 1998, the BBC broadcast a six-part documentary named Premier Passions. The Stadium of Light has been Sunderland's home ground since 1997. [199] Dave Halliday holds the record for the most goals scored in a season: 43in the 192829 season in the Football League First Division. [203], The first sponsor to appear on Sunderland kits was Cowie's, the business group of then chairman Tom Cowie, between 1983 and 1985. [4] 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. [87], In 1964 Brown left his managerial post at Sunderland on appointment as manager of Sheffield Wednesday. [24], After taking Sunderland to three English League championship titles manager Watson resigned at the end of the 189596 season, in order to join Liverpool. Portsmouth are looking to become the first team ever to retain the Football League Trophy, having won the last edition in 2018-19 against Sunderland. It reached number one in the NME Indie Charts. They were finalists in 1913 and 1992, where they were beaten respectively by Aston Villa and Liverpool. [163] First-team coach Ricky Sbragia took over as caretaker manager,[163] and on 27 December 2008 Sbragia took the job on a permanent basis, signing an 18-month contract. The club has also won the FA Cup 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. They have never won the League Cup but finished as finalists in 1985 and 2014. [81] In total, just over 5,000 (128,000 today) was handled in this way. [110], Jack Ross was appointed as the new manager in May 2018. Sunderland joined The Football League for the 189091 season. Attendances at Sunderland's grounds prior to Newcastle Road were rarely recorded. The wealthy miner Samuel Tyzack, who alongside and shipbuilder Robert Turnbull funded the "team of all talents," often pretended to be a priest while scouting for players in Scotland, as Sunderland's recruitment policy enraged many Scottish fans. 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 (1,100 today). [182] He also took Sunderland to the League Cup Final in the same season, defeating Manchester United in penalty kicks in the semi-finals. Each column contains appearances in the starting eleven, followed by appearances as substitute in brackets. [90] After their promotion Sunderland failed to make an impact in Division One, never finishing higher than fifteenth in six years, after which they were relegated for the second time. [39] On 19 April 1913 Sunderland narrowly missed out on becoming one of the few clubs to win the League and cup double, when they were beaten 10 by Aston Villa in the FA Cup Final at Crystal Palace. [117] They subsequently struggled in Division Two, in 199192. Halliday improved his goal scoring to 43 goals in 42 games the following season,[26] an all-time Sunderland record for goals scored in a single season. Their last trophy win was in 1980, when they saw off Arsenal in the FA Cup final. Diadora produced kits for a solitary season, 200405, and Lonsdale made kits between 2005 and 2007. Going into the final game of the season, they still had a chance of avoiding relegation, if they could win their game against Portsmouth and if Leicester City could be held by Birmingham City. [172] The appointment of Di Canio also sparked opposition from the Durham Miners' Association,[173] which threatened to remove one of its mining banners from Sunderland's Stadium of Light, which is built on the former site of the Wearmouth Colliery, as a symbol of its anger over the appointment. Umbro returned for five seasons between 2007 and 2012, before Adidas became the club's kit manufacturer for the first time in 2012. [188] 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. To find out more click here, Former player, manager and chairman, Niall Quinn. However, in that season Sunderland embarked on a run leading to the FA Cup final, where they lost 20 to Liverpool,[118] They had previously beaten Chelsea in a quarter-final replay. [124] They assumed the current strip of red and white stripes in the 188788 season. [192], Before this when the team still played at Roker Park, they were known as the Rokerites. seasons ). [2] [3] [4] League [ edit] Jack Wilshere 's side produced two superb comeback wins and two separate last-minute winners helped . Ryehill Football", When Sunderland met Hearts in the first ever 'Champions League' match, Sunderland's Victorian all-stars blazed trail for money's rule of football, "The famous Sunderland v Aston Villa painting that hangs in the lobby of the SoL a history of", "Sunderland's First Great Centre Forward", "The Scotch Professors and 'combination football', "HISTORY: CURIOSITIES OF WORLD FOOTBALL (1891-1900) | IFFHS", "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", "On the run with dogs and a long-dead goalkeeper Telegraph", "England List of FA Charity/Community Shield Matches", "Football League Div 1 & 2 Leading Goalscorers 194792", "Ledley volley sends Cardiff City to FA Cup final", "End of a North-East legend: News 2009: Chortle: The UK Comedy Guide", "Premier Passions (TV Series 1998 ) IMDb", "Sunderland's Premier Passions remembered 20 years after fly-on-the-wall TV came to Roker Park", "I Left My Heart in Roker Park by Tom Kelly", "Theatre review: I Left My Heart in Roker Park (And Extra Time at the Stadium of Light) at Customs House, South Shields", "English Premier League: Each Club's Most Famous Fans", "Peter O'Toole and a lost Sunderland passion | Salut! On 6 August 2007, Sunderland celebrated 10 years at the Stadium of Light with a draw against Juventus,[158] and prepared for the oncoming season by spending nearly 40million on new players for the squad,[159] whilst also breaking the British transfer record for a goalkeeper with the 9million transfer of Craig Gordon. [184] Two days after the defeat, the club sacked Poyet due to the bad run of results that left Sunderland in 17th, just one point above the relegation zone. [101] Billy Elliot then joined Sunderland as manager for a second time, replacing Merrington until the end of the season. [63], Another seventh-place finish in the 200001 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. [129], In 1998, BBC broadcast a six-part documentary named Premier Passions. Additionally, they participated in friendlies with Football League clubs; they beat the League champions Preston North End on 28 April 1889. [17] Sunderland achieved their third League title in four seasons in the 189495 season,[16] and after their League championship success took part in a game with Heart of Midlothian, the champions of Scotland. A Davy lamp monument stands outside the stadium, and a miners banner was presented to the club by the Durham Miners' Association,[141] as a reminder of the Monkwearmouth Colliery pit the stadium was built on.