赛事详情

As was the case for a lot football teams in England after the publication of the Taylor Report in 1990, Sunderland were required to convert their stadium into an all-seater. This was in direct response to the tragic events of the “Hillsborough Disaster”, which saw the tragic death of 96 fans during an FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. At the time Sunderland were playing their home matches at Roker Park which first opened way back in 1897. Designed in a different era, the conversion to all-seating greatly reduced the capacity of the ground, and thus in order to make up for the matchday revenue shortfall, the ground would need to be expanded. However due to Roker Park’s residential location, this would be impossible and thus Sunderland Chairman Bob Murray began to scout locations for a new stadium as early as 1991. Eventually the Black Cats identified a location on the north bank of the River Wear, and the designers of the Amsterdam Arena, Ballast Wiltshier, were hired to draw up concept plans. Initially proposed as a venue for Euro 96, planning permission was only granted in November 1995, and thus participation in the tournament was evidently too ambitious. As was the proposed 49,000 capacity design, which was scaled back during construction, although this was later achieved in 2000 when the north stand was renovated. Rather fittingly Ajax were invited to play the inaugural friendly match on the 30th July 1997, and ten years later to celebrate a decade at the Stadium of Light, the club held a friendly against Juventus on 6th August 2007.

DRIVING Stadium of Light’s address for satnav is as follows: Sunderland SR5 1SU Car Parks When it comes to parking there is a limited amount available at the ground, and instead you’re advised to look elsewhere such as the nearby metro station or nearer the city centre which requires you to cross the Wearmouth Bridge. Another option which is the free Park and Ride Scheme operating from Sunderland Enterprise Park just off of the A1231. With buses running every 5 minutes for 90 minutes before and until everyone has gone home after kick off, this might be the best option for those not planning to make a weekend of it. TRAIN The Stadium of light is highly walkable from Sunderland’s train station at 15 minutes or so but if you want to, you can get to the stadium by using the metro line and getting off at either the Stadium of Light or St Peters station with the latter actually being nearer. BUS You can catch buses to the stadium from the Park lane interchange which is Sunderland’s main bus station located south of the train station. Any of the following buses will do the trick: 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 15 and number 16. AIRPORTS AND FLYING Sunderland lacks its own airport which means the nearest is 23 miles away at Newcastle with a drive time a fraction under 40 minutes. You can also jump on the Metro transit system which will take you there in just under an hour.