| Stadium of Light | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Stadium of Light |
| Location | Stadium Of Light Sunderland SR5 1SU |
| Opened | 1997 |
| Owner | Stadium (Holdings) Limited |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | £13million |
| Architect | TTH Architects |
| Main contractors | Ballast Wiltshire PLC |
| Capacity | 48,707[1] |
| Field dimensions | 115 × 75 yards (105 × 68 metres) |
| Tenants | |
| Sunderland A.F.C. (1997–present) | |
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 48,707 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches. The name Stadium of Light is a tribute to the traditional mining industry which brought prosperity to the town; a Davy lamp monument stands at the entrance.[2]
As well as hosting Sunderland games, the stadium has hosted two matches for the England national football team, as well as one England under-20 football team match. With an original capacity of 42,000, it was expanded in 2002 to seat 49,000, and its simple design is expected to allow for redevelopments up to an eventual capacity of 64,000. The attendance record at the Stadium of Light is 48,353 set on 13 April 2002, when Sunderland played Liverpool with the visitors running out 1-0 winners. Along with hosting football matches, the stadium has played host to performers such as Oasis, Take That and Pink. The ground also holds conference and banqueting suites, the Black Cats Bar, and a club shop selling Sunderland merchandise.
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Following the release of the Taylor Report in January 1990, Sunderland was obliged to make plans to turn their Roker Park home into an all-seater stadium.[3] Roker Park was a ground that mainly consisted of standing terraces, and if converted into all-seater it would have held far fewer spectators than before.[3] Enclosed by residential streets on all sides, expansion was practically impossible. So, by 1991, Sunderland chairman Bob Murray began investigating the possibility of relocation to a new stadium.[3]
The front-runner that emerged was a proposed stadium located on an area of land adjacent to the Nissan car plant.[4] The 48,000 all-seater ground was labelled "the Wembley of the North" - a capacity that not even Manchester United's Old Trafford exceeded until 1996.[4] The plans did not come to fruition. Shortly after the plans were announced in 1992, Nissan launched an official objection, ultimately forcing Sunderland to abandon the idea.[4] In 1995, Sunderland put forward a plan to build a stadium on the former site of Wearmouth Colliery.[4] The area, on the north bank of the River Wear in the Sheepfolds district of Sunderland, was only a few hundred yards from Roker Park, and close to the centre of the city. On 13 November 1995, the Sunderland Chairman Bob Murray announced that the Tyne and Wear Development Corporation had approved plans for Sunderland to build a 34,000-seater stadium on the site.[5]
Ballast Wiltshier plc, a contracting company that had built the Amsterdam ArenA, was contracted to build the stadium at an initial cost of £15 million.[5] In June 1996, as the planned capacity rose to 40,000, construction work began.[5] The capacity was revised again in early 1997, and the stadium was completed on time, with a capacity of 42,000.[5] The stadium's design allows possible expansion of a further tier, completed expansion of the whole upper tier would produce a capacity of 63,000.[6] During construction, the stadium had not adopted an official name, and had been known colloquially as the "Wearside Stadium" and "New Roker Park".[7] The name was eventually revealed as the Stadium of Light, a reference to a miner's lamp (the stadium is built on the site of the old Wearmouth Colliery, and many Sunderland fans have worked in the region's mines).[7] To emphasise the fact, a Davy lamp is located in front of the stadium's ticket office, adjacent to the stadium.[7] The stadium was opened on 30 July 1997 by Prince Andrew, Duke of York, with bands such as Status Quo, Upside Down and Kavana playing. To celebrate the opening of the stadium, Sunderland played a friendly against Ajax, which was drawn 0–0.[5]
The North Stand was extended in 2000 to bring the capacity to 49,000, costing the club a further £7 million, making the final cost of the stadium £23 million.[6] On 18 July 2006, a statue of 1973 FA Cup Final winning manager Bob Stokoe was unveiled.[8] At the end of season Football League awards, the Stadium of Light was named the Best Away Ground, with other contenders including Crewe Alexandra's Alexandra Stadium and Plymouth Argyle's Home Park.[9] Sunderland celebrated the ten year anniversary of the stadium with a pre-season friendly against Juventus on 6 August 2007, the game was drawn 1–1.[10]
In November 2011, the club announced that the away supporters' section would be moved from the South Stand to the North Stand Upper from the beginning of the 2012-13 season.[11] As a result, minor modifications to the ground will need to be implemented.
The stadium is in the shape of a square bowl, and is separated into the West Stand, North Stand, East Stand (formerly the Vaux Stand, the Carling Stand, and Fosters Stand respectively), and the South Stand (also known as the Metro FM Stand).[12] The West Stand includes the Premier Concourse which is the name of the upper tier, and a number of executive boxes.[13] The North Stand also includes an upper tier, called the Strongbow Upper, which contains the Black Cats Bar.[14]
The pitch is several metres below the level of the ground outside of the stadium.[15] The pitch uses a lighting system from Stadium Grow Lighting to ensure the grass can grow at any time of year. The device controls the factors of the pitch, including exposure to light, temperature, water, and air, to make the grass able to grow in any condition.[16] Away fans are seated in the west half of the South Stand.[12] The East Stand has the Sunderland emblem on the seats, while the North Stand has the slogan "Ha'way The Lads". The stadium also has a Davy lamp monument, and a statue of Bob Stokoe. The perimeter walls of the stadium incorporates a "Wall of Fame" feature, where names can be engraved into the bricks of the walls.[17] The interior of the stadium holds a banqueting suite, which can seat from 460 to 600 people.[18] The stadium also contains several conferencing suites, that can be hired for events.[19]
As well as holding Sunderland games, the stadium has also hosted England matches. The stadium was one of several venues used as temporary home grounds for the England team while the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium took place.[20] It hosted its first England game in 1999, when they played Belgium in a friendly match, which England won 2–1.[21] It played host to its first competitive England match on 2 April 2003, when they played Turkey in a Euro 2004 qualifying match, which England won 2–0.[22] The Stadium of Light also held an England under 20 match against Italy on 27 November 2002, Italy beat England 5–3.[23]
| Date | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 10 October 1999 | England 2–1 Belgium | Friendly |
| 27 November 2002 | England 3–5 Italy | Under 20 International |
| 2 April 2003 | England 2–0 Turkey | UEFA Euro 2004 Qualifying |
In October 2008 it was announced that the stadium would hold a concert on 10 June 2009, featuring Oasis, with Kasabian, The Enemy and Reverend and the Makers as support acts, with the stadium housing roughly 60,000 fans.[24] Shortly afterwards Take That confirmed they would start their nationwide 'Circus' tour at the Stadium of Light.[25] Pink also performed a sell out show at the stadium on 11 June 2010, with support from VV Brown, Butch Walker and City & Colour.[26] Take That announced that they would return to the stadium along with Robbie Williams on 27 May 2011 and supported by Pet Shop Boys. On this occasion Take That began their Progress Live tour in Sunderland, making the Stadium of Light the first venue to hear Take That perform as a five since 1995. Originally only two dates were announced, however due to huge demand from fans two further dates were added at the Stadium of Light.[27] Kings Of Leon also announced that they would play at the stadium on 17 June 2011 as part of their nationwide tour across Britain.[28] On November 1st 2011, the Red Hot Chili Peppers announced they would play at the Stadium on June 24th 2012.[29] Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band also announced summer 2012 concerts at the stadium.
The Stadium of Light currently hosts the annual graduation ceremony for the students of the University of Sunderland.[33] The stadium won the RSVP magazine's Most creative use of a sporting venue award in 2007 for its usage as the university's graduation site.[34]
The highest recorded league attendance at the Stadium of Light is 48,353 set on 13 April 2002 for the Sunderland vs Liverpool game. The lowest league attendance at the stadium was 22,167 against Wigan Athletic on 2 December 2003.[35] The lowest ever attendance at the Stadium of Light was 11,450 against Chester City in the Carling Cup 1st Round on 24 August 2004. Sunderland won the match 3-0. Sunderland's largest margin of victory at the stadium was a 7-0 win over Oxford United during the 1998–99 promotion season.
The highest seasonal average at the stadium since it was opened was 46,790 in the 2000–01 season while Sunderland were playing in the Premier League.[36] The lowest average attendance at the Stadium of Light was 27,119 in the 2003–04 season in Division One.[37] The highest total seasonal attendance was recorded during the 1998–99 season when the aggregate was 890,660 in a season where Sunderland were First Division champions, and League Cup semi-finalists.[38] The lowest seasonal aggregate at the Stadium of Light was 623,741 in the 2003–04 season, the same season that the club were FA Cup and play off semi-finalists.[37]
The fastest ever goal scored was scored by Darren Bent for Sunderland A.F.C against Tottenham after just 36 seconds on 3rd April 2010. The record was previously held by another Sunderland A.F.C player, Fraizer Campbell. He scored after just 41 seconds against Bolton Wanderers on 9th March 2010, just a month earlier.
Sunderland station, which is now connected to London Kings Cross by services run by the Open Access operator Grand Central Railway, is located nearby to the stadium.[39] The St Peter's and Stadium of Light Metro stations were built to serve the stadium. The Metro was extended into Sunderland in 2002.[40] A park and ride system is available on match days to allow spectators to park away from the stadium,[41] and a new footbridge proposal has been put forward to link the stadium to the south bank of the river as part of the stadium park regeneration project.[42]
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