Also known as The Black Cats, Sunderland Association Football Club formed in 1879, and in their long history have won six First Division titles, two FA Cups and are currently in the Premier League. The nickname Black Cat comes after many years of the team being known by a variety of nicknames, including The Rokerites, as well as The Roker Men which were popular names during the club’s time playing at Roker Park.
The team currently play their home games at the Stadium of Light, in Monkwearmouth. Their seventh official home, the stadium was officially opened in 1997 by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and was built on the old site of the Monkwearmouth Colliery. The team commemorate the sites mining history with a monument of a Davy Lamp sitting prominently outside of the Stadium.Sunderland AFC Tickets for games at the Stadium of Light are available via StubHub, SAFC’s official secondary ticketing partner from the 2012-13 season onwards.
Of all the twenty clubs that feature in the current Premier League, Sunderland AFC have the seventh most attended Home Game tally, with an average of 39,095 people attending games throughout the 2011/2012 football season. The teams support is not, however, refined to Sunderland, or even to the UK, as they also have Supporter Groups as far away as Canada, Cambodia and Australia.
Charlie Buchan remains as the Club’s Top Goal scorer, with a total of 209 goals scored from 1911, with his final goal being in 1925. However, in the 1928-1929 season, player Dave Halliday became the record holder for most goals scored during a single season, scoring a total of 43 goals.
The team are currently sponsored by the Invest in Africa Initiative, who are now the Club’s Shirt Sponsor, taking over from the previous two-year deal the club had with Tombola. Previous sponsors have included Reg Vardy (1999 – 2007), Vaux Breweries (1985 – 1999) and Arriva, who have their main office in Sunderland.
Home Game tickets typically cost between £18 and £25 for Adults, and £10 to £15 for Under 16s. Upcoming Home matches, for September and October 2012, are against Wigan and Newcastle. Away Game tickets cost around £13 up to £34, and for September and October 2012 will be against The MK Dons, Manchester City and Stoke City. SAFC’s new partnership with StubHub introduces a unique, ground breaking ticketing system where season card holders are now able to sell their seat for games they are unable to attend.