Sunderland A.F.C.

Official Website : Sunderland


Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional association football team based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, which plays in the Premier League. Sunderland have won six First Division titles and two FA Cups, seven of which being won before the Second World War, making them one of the most successful clubs in English football.

Prior to the Second World War, Sunderland were league champions six times: in 1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, and most recently in 1936, when they became the last team wearing striped shirts to win the league. They were elected into The Football League in 1890, becoming the first team to join after the league's birth in 1888. Sunderland stayed in the top flight until 1958, a record which only Arsenal, in 1992, surpassed. The club won their first FA Cup in 1937 with a 3–1 victory over Preston North End. Sunderland's only major triumph after the Second World War was the club's second FA Cup victory in 1973, when the club secured a 1–0 victory over Leeds United thanks to Ian Porterfield goal. They have a long-standing rivalry with local team Newcastle United, and the Tyne-Wear derby has been contested since 1898.

The club's home stadium is the Stadium of Light, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 49,000 into which they moved in 1997 after leaving Roker Park in order to increase ground attendances. It is commonly likened to Benfica's Estádio da Luz, which translates into English as "Stadium of Light". The stadium originally held 42,000, but the capacity increased to 49,000 after redevolopment in 2000. It has hosted two England international matches, a friendly against Belgium in 1999 and its first competitive match against Turkey in 2003.

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