Sunderland are a professional English football team based in Tyne and Wear, England. They were founded in 1879 by James Allan, a schoolteacher, joining the football league in 1890. They won the first of their 6 (to date) league championships in 1892, doing so again the year after. Sunderland were a far more successful pre-war club than post-war, only winning one trophy- the FA Cup in 1973 after a shock 1-0 win over Leeds United. This was their second FA Cup, the first having come in 1937 when they beat Preston North End.
Their relegation in 1958 brought to an end a run of 68 successive seasons in the top flight, a record bettered only by Arsenal. They play their home games at the Stadium of Light and have done since 1997, when they relocated there from Roker Park in order to have a bigger stadium capacity. The Stadium of Light today holds 49,000 supporters. The club enjoys a healthy rivalry with fellow northerners Newcastle United, with whom they contest the Tyne-Wear derby, so named because of the neighbouring rivers. |