Stadium of Light

Take a look at the best new football stadium in Britain with a unique atmosphere created by thousands of passionate members of Peter Reid's Red 'n' white Army.

After almost a hundred years at the famous old Roker Park (1898-1997) Sunderland AFC moved to their new home at the banks of the river Wear. The Stadium was opened on July 30th with a friendly against Dutch giants Ajax where the Lads achieved a 0-0 draw. The Sunderland Stadium of Light, so its official name, although many prefer to call it Wearmouth Stadium or simply Wearmouth, is the biggest new football ground in England and probably the hottest place on earth when Sunderland play at home.

Its capacity is currently 42,000 which will eventually expanded to over 60,000. The average attendance during the 1998/99 season has been 38,724, while season-ticket sales for the forthcoming Premiership campaign have been stopped by the club at an impressive 36,000. The first international match at the SOL was played on October 10 1999: a friendly between England and Belgium (2-1).

Currently, there are plans to extend the capacity to 48,000 in anticipation of a successful Premiership campaign, with the work due to start immediately following England's friendly against Belgium. Much will of course depend upon the team's ability to survive in the top flight, but added revenue from such as TV rights, sponsorship, replica kit purchases, goods retailing and season ticket sales should bring in an extra Ł8 million.