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Stadium of Light
Stadium of Light
UEFA Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional football club, based at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, in North-East England. ... Benfica redirects here. ... The emblem of Benfica at the entrance to the stadium The Estádio da Luz (pron. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x861, 416 KB) One of the stands at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, England. ... The UEFA Stadia List is a ranking of football stadia compiled by UEFAs Stadia and Security Committee. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Location	Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England
Opened	1997
Owner	Sunderland A.F.C.
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	£27 million (Plus £7 million in extensions)
Tenants	Sunderland A.F.C. (1997-present)
Capacity	49,000 -

The Stadium of Light is a football stadium in Sunderland, North East England which opened in 1997. The 49,000-seater stadium is the home of Sunderland A.F.C, in England. It is widely regarded as one of the best stadia in the country. In the 07/08 season survey, the Stadium of Light was recognised as the loudest in the country. It is the 3rd time the stadium has won this award. The stadium has also hosted two full England international games and currently hosts the graduation ceremonies of the University of Sunderland. For other uses, see Sunderland (disambiguation). ... Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in the North East of England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional football club, based at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, in North-East England. ... A lawn is an area of recreational or amenity land planted with grass, and sometimes clover and other plants, which are maintained at a low, even height. ... GBP redirects here. ... Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional football club, based at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, in North-East England. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Soccer redirects here. ... This article is about the building type. ... For other uses, see Sunderland (disambiguation). ... North-East England is one of the nine official regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and a small part of North Yorkshire. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Biggest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Biggest defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First in... St Peters Campus The University of Sunderland is located in the City of Sunderland in North East England. ...

Construction

Following the release of the Taylor Report in 1989, Sunderland were obliged to make plans to turn their Roker Park home into an all-seater stadium. 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. Enclosed by residential streets on all sides, expansion was practically impossible. So, in the early 1990s, Sunderland began investigating the possibility of relocation. The Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. ... Roker Park was the stadium of Sunderland A.F.C. between 1898 and 1997, when it was replaced by the Stadium of Light. ...

The front-runner that emerged was a proposed stadium located on an area of land adjacent to the Nissan car plant. The 48,000 all-seater ground was labelled "the Wembley of the North". The plans did not come to fruition, as in 1992, Nissan launched an official objection, ultimately forcing Sunderland to abandon the idea. Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd, or NMUK is a car manufacturing plant in Sunderland, North East England. ... Wembley Stadium was a football stadium located in Wembley, London. ... Nissan Motor Co. ...

In 1995 Sunderland put forward a plan to build a Stadium on the former site of Wearmouth Colliery which had closed on November 24, 1993. 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 in the heart of the city. On November 13, 1995, then Sunderland Chairman Bob Murray finally announced that the Tyne and Wear Development Corporation (TWDC) had approved plans for Sunderland to build a 34,000-seater stadium on the site. Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Monkwearmouth Colliery (or Wearmouth Colliery) was a major North Sea coal mine located on the north bank of the River Wear in Sunderland. ... is the 328th day of the year (329th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The River Wear (pronounced Wee-er) is a river in the North East of England. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Bob Murray CBE (born 3 August 1946, Consett, County Durham); an accountant by trade, he made his fortune by selling kitchens. ...

Ballast Wiltshier PLC (which had built the Amsterdam Arena) was contracted to build the stadium at an initial cost of £15 million. In June 1996, as the planned capacity rose to 40,000, construction work began. The capacity was revised again in early 1997, and the stadium was completed on time, with a capacity of 42,000. The north stand was extended in 2000 to bring the capacity to 49,000 which cost the club a further £7million. Once the stadium is completely developed it will hold a capacity of 64,000. The Amsterdam ArenA is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

In 2003 the club was granted permission to increase the capacity by another 7,200, but the subsequent relegation put these plans on hold. In 2007 chairman Niall Quinn stated the club had no immediate plans to increase the stadiums capacity.

During construction, the stadium had not adopted an official name, and so became known to fans simply as the Wearmouth or Monkwearmouth Stadium. The name was eventually revealed, to mixed reactions, by Deputy Chairman John Fickling upon completion of the stadium. The name was chosen following a competition. Although it was partly inspired by the common, if inaccurate, translation of Benfica's Estádio da Luz ground in Lisbon ('Luz', meaning 'light' in English, being the name of the area of Lisbon in which it stands, hence the translation 'Stadium of Light' in English usage, although the official name of the ground in Lisbon is actually the less original 'Stadium of SL Benfica'), the name is a reference to a miner's lamp, recognising the fact that the stadium is built on the site of the old Wearmouth Colliery, and that many thousands of Sunderland fans, past and present, have worked in the region's mines. To emphasise the fact, a giant Davy lamp (first introduced in this area) is located in front of the box office, adjacent to the stadium. A sign at one of the Stadium gates by the West Stand reads "INTO THE LIGHT". The same words were found on a famous sign at the exit to the main elevator of Wearmouth Colliery. For other uses, see Benfica (disambiguation). ... The emblem of Benfica at the entrance to the stadium The Estádio da Luz (pron. ... For other uses, see Lisbon (disambiguation). ... Monkwearmouth Colliery (or Wearmouth Colliery) was a major North Sea coal mine located on the north bank of the River Wear in Sunderland. ... Davy lamp The Davy lamp is a candle containing safety lamp devised in 1815 by Humphry Davy. ... Monkwearmouth Colliery (or Wearmouth Colliery) was a major North Sea coal mine located on the north bank of the River Wear in Sunderland. ...

Powerful xenon "Stardrift" spotlights were mounted on the roof of the corners, casting beams of light into the sky on appropriate occasions. General Name, Symbol, Number xenon, Xe, 54 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 5, p Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 131. ...

View of West Stand from the opposite side of the river.

Transportation has always been a major issue with the stadium due to a lack of large-scale parking facilities. The St Peter's and Stadium of Light Metro stations were built to serve the stadium, when the Metro was extended into Sunderland in 2002. A park and ride system is available on match days to allow spectators to park away from the Stadium, and a number of new footbridge proposals have been put forward to link the stadium to the south bank of the river, though to date none has been approved. Almost identical proposals for a footbridge linking the City Centre to the Stadium have been put forward by the two main "would be" developers of the river Wear's south bank. After more than 6 years of dithering in this area (formerly the Vaux Brewery) the site remains empty and a large cause of angst amongst locals and football supporters alike. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 217 pixelsFull resolution (3146 × 852 pixel, file size: 371 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Stadium... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 217 pixelsFull resolution (3146 × 852 pixel, file size: 371 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Stadium... St Peters Metro Station on the Tyne and Wear Metro is the nearest one to the University of Sunderlands St Peters Campus. ... Stadium of Light Metro station is a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, situated to the north of the centre of the city of Sunderland, England. ... a park-and-ride bus in Oxford Park and ride terminals are public transport stations that allow commuters to drive short distances in their personal automobiles to catch a ride on a bus or railroad system (usually classified as light rail or the heavier commuter rail). ...

Stadium layout

The front of the stadium

The Stadium is separated into the West Stand, North Stand (formerly the Vaux Stand and the Carling Stand), East Stand (formerly the Fosters Stand), and the South Stand (also known as the Metro FM Stand). The West Stand includes the Premier Concourse which is the name of the upper tier, and a number of executive boxes. The West Stand also houses the main entrance, the changing rooms and tunnel, hospitality and banqueting suites, media facilities, and the sports bar. The North Stand includes an upper tier, and also includes the Black Cat's Bar.

The North Stand, bearing the slogan "Ha'way The Lads".

The pitch is several metres below the level of the ground outside of the stadium. This means that the stadium is larger than it appears from outside. Spectators who walk through the turnstile enter into an area known as the Concourse. This area contains food kiosks, shops, televisions, bookmakers and toilet facilities. Each food kiosk is named after a famous past Sunderland player or a stand at Roker Park. A spectator can walk around the entire stadium inside the concourse, with the exception of the away-fans section which is closed-off. The drinking of alcohol is permitted only in the concourse. Smoking was initially permitted only in the concourse, but since 1 July 2007, it is not permitted anywhere within the Ground (following the introduction of the smoking ban in England). The concourse is linked to the seating-decks of the stadium via a series of vomitories. Each vomitory enters onto a walkway in the centre of the lower-tier. This walkway circles the entire stadium, although pedestrian movements are limited within certain sections. Seats are separated into blocks, and each block can be accessed via the central walkway, and around a walkway at pitch-level. There is no direct access to the upper-tier from the lower-tier. There are special areas on the central walkway allocated for disabled spectators and their helpers. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x808, 409 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Stadium of Light ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x808, 409 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Stadium of Light ... A football field is the playing surface for the game of football (soccer). ... This article is about the pedestrian gate. ... A bookmaker, bookie or turf accountant, is an organization or a person that takes bets and may pay winnings depending upon results and, depending on the nature of the bet, the odds. ... Alcoholic beverages An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, although in chemistry the definition of alcohol includes many other compounds. ... For the food preparation, see Smoking (cooking). ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Away fans are usually seated the west side of the South Stand, beside the vocal heart of the Stadium Of Light - the South West Corner which is home to some of the loudest fans in the country. The North Stand (often known as 'the home end') was elected the 'new Fulwell' of the Stadium between the Sunderland fans because of its home nature, very similar to the Fulwell End of Roker Park. The North Stand has the 'slogan' "Ha'way The Lads" on the seats of the stand - this is to inspire the Sunderland players and create the 'home end' effect.

Trivia

• The Stadium of Light featured in the 2000 feature film Purely Belter which centres on two teenagers' love of Newcastle United, Sunderland's main rivals. In the film two teenagers get tickets to Sunderland A.F.C. Vs Liverpool F.C. Thinking they were tickets to a Newcastle United match.
• Sheffield F.C.'s stadium is nicknamed the Stadium of Bright, a pun on the Stadium of Light.

• Ground improvements at English football Stadia

Purely Belter is a 2000 film directed by Mark Herman about two teenagers (Chris Beattie and Greg McLane) trying to get money by any means necessary, in order to get season tickets for home games played by the FA Premier League football team Newcastle United. ... Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional football club, based at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, in North-East England. ... Liverpool Football Club are an English professional football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside, who play in the Premier League; they are historically the most successful club in the history of English football, having won more trophies than any other English club. ... For the Australian club, see Newcastle United Jets. ... Sheffield F.C. are an amateur English football club, whose main claim to fame is the fact that they are the worlds oldest club, having been established in 1857. ... The Bright Finance Stadium (often fondly referred to as the Stadium of Bright in a take-off of Sunderlands Stadium of Light) is a Football ground, and home to the oldest Football club in the world, Sheffield F.C.. Formerly known as the Coach and Horses ground (the ground...

References

• Gillan, T (2001) Let there be light. S.T. Publishing. ISBN 0-9535920-8-1 — catalogues the building of the stadium.
• "Wearmouth Colliery", Durham Mining Museum, 2005
• "The Stadium Story", 1997

Tony Gillan (born 27 September 1969) is an author from Sunderland. ... Let there be light is an English translation of the Hebrew יְהִי אוֹר (or yehiy or). ...

External links

• BBC Wear Interactive 360 degree views of the Stadium of Light
• Pictures at Stadium of Light
• Stadium of Light a 2018 World Cup Venue?

Coordinates: 54°54′51.90″N, 1°23′17.43″W Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional football club, based at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, in North-East England. ... Sunderland Association Football Club is a football club based in Sunderland, North East England. ... Sunderland A.F.C. is a professional football club based in Sunderland, North East England. ... Roker Park was the stadium of Sunderland A.F.C. between 1898 and 1997, when it was replaced by the Stadium of Light. ... Sunderland AFC Women (, Sunderland Ladies) is a womens football club based in Sunderland, North East England. ... The Academy of Light is the name of the training facilities and youth academy for English football club Sunderland A.F.C. Officially opened in March 2003, the Academy of Light is a state-of-the-art training facility located in 220 acres of land (60 acres dedicated to football... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The 2007-08 season is the 107th full season of league football for Sunderland A.F.C.. They play in the English Premiership, having been promoted as champions of the Championship in the previous season. ... For other sports leagues which may be referred to by this name, see List of professional sports leagues. ... The 2007–08 Premier League season (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) is the sixteenth since its establishment. ... This article is about the football stadium. ... For the football team see Upton Park FC The Boleyn Ground is the official name of Upton Park, the football stadium of West Ham United. ... The City of Manchester Stadium (also known as COMS or Eastlands) is a sports venue in Manchester, England. ... Craven Cottage is the name of a sports stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham area that has been the 6. ... 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The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook retail park in Horwich, near Bolton. ... The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough F.C. since it opened in 1995. ... St. ... St James Park is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and is the home of Newcastle United Football Club. ... Stamford Bridge is a football stadium on the border of Fulham and Chelsea, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham that is home to Chelsea Football Club. ... For other uses, see Villa Park (disambiguation). ... For the railway station of the same name, see White Hart Lane railway station. ... The Union Européenne de Football Association or Union of European Football Associations in English, almost always referred to by the acronym UEFA (pronounced (you-AY-fuh) or (oo-Ay-fuh) or ), is the administrative and controlling body for European football. ... The UEFA Stadia List is a ranking of football stadia compiled by UEFAs Stadia and Security Committee. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bulgaria. ... This is one of the the biggest stadiums in Bulgaria at 43,384 people. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Denmark. ... Parken Stadium (English: the Park) is a football stadium in the Indre Østerbro (Inner Østerbro) district of Copenhagen, Denmark, built from 1990-1992. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... This article is about the football stadium. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... The City of Manchester Stadium (also known as COMS or Eastlands) is a sports venue in Manchester, England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Goodison Park is the home ground of Everton F.C. in Liverpool. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... St Marys Stadium is the home stadium of Southampton F.C.. The Saints have been in residence since August 2001 when they moved from the The Dell, which for the final years of its life, held just over 15,000 spectators - less than half the size of the new... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see Villa Park (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Parc des Princes (translation: Princes Park) is a 48527 capacity stadium in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The stade de Gerland is the principal sporting hub of the city of Lyon. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Greece. ... The Karaiskaki Stadium (in Greek: Γήπεδο Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης ; IPA: ) is in the Neo Faliro area of Piraeus, Greece. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ... The Gelredome is the home stadium of Vitesse in Arnhem. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ... For the indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia, see Philips Arena. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... RÃ¥sunda Stadium, located in the Stockholm suburb of Solna, is the home ground for football team AIK, the home of the Sweden mens national team and also hosts the headquarters of the headquarters of the Swedish Football Association. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... Ullevi or Ullevi Stadium, formerly named Nya Ullevi, meaning New Ullevi, to distinguish it from Gamla Ullevi, is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Switzerland. ... For the old stadium, see St. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...