Sunderland visitor guide (Stadium of Light, Sunderland FC, Black Cats)

The Stadium of Light is a UEFA 4-Star rated stadium located in Sunderland, in North East England. The stadium is the home of Sunderland AFC, and due to work after the ground had opened, has a capacity of 49,000 all-seated; the original attendance was 42,000. The stadium was opened with great fanfare in July 1997 with a friendly against Dutch giants Ajax, and the Stadium of Light has also hosted full and under-21 England international matches in recent times. Interestingly enough, since 1994 graduates of the University of Sunderland have their graduation ceremonies at the ground.

Away fans can expect a noisy but friendly welcome, with the acoustics of the ground and the sheer intensity of the home fans' chanting making for a lively atmosphere. Away fans are housed in a portion of the South stand, and there is usually an allocation of around 3,000 tickets, depending on demand.
As you would expect with a modern football ground, there are full toilet facilities and the food and drink is of a particularly high standard. In all, moving from the riotous Roker Park has done nothing to dim the keenness of the Sunderland support, and a good day out can be enjoyed on a trip to the home of Sunderland AFC.

How To Get To The Stadium Of Light

There are many different options for getting to the Stadium of Light. Of course, many will decide to come by car, in which case the normal caveat applies with travelling by car to a football ground; namely, parking problems and traffic. If you come by car, there are parking spaces at and around the ground, with park and walk and park and ride schemes in place too. Street parking is seriously discouraged, as most of the surrounding areas are residential and/or important for good traffic flow around the ground on match days, and are therefore kept free. In any case, the best way to locate the ground is with a good route planner or with satellite navigation, and to help with this the postcode is SR5 1SU.

There are also public transport options for getting to the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland's train station is a 10-15 minute walk from the ground, and the station has transport links to most of the country. Seaburn station is also close by. Trams run from Sunderland too, with stops at both St Peter's and the Stadium of Light for the ground. Buses are numerous and regular, with numbers 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 15 and 16 all stopping within a few minutes walk from the ground.