- Address: Sunderland
- Country: United Kingdom
- Capacity: 49,000
- Opened: 30 July 1997
- Main use: Football
- Tenants: Sunderland AFC (football)
Extra stadium info – Stadium of Light
The construction costs of the venue, which opened in 1997 with a capacity of 42,000, were £24 million. It opened as one of the largest stadiums by capacity in England. A Davy lamp monument stands at the entrance of the Stadium of Light to reflect the coal mining industry that brought prosperity to Sunderland. Several world famous artists performed at the venue in front of tens of thousands of fans.
The national football team of England
The national football team of England, who won their first-ever FIFA World Cup title in 1966, played their first match at the Stadium of Light in 1999. They won the match against Belgium 2-1 in front of 40,000 spectators. Alan Shearer and Jamie Frank Redknapp both scored for England. Branko Strupar scored the only goal for the national football team of Belgium. England also won their second match at the Stadium of Light. They won the game against Türkiye 2-0. Darius Martin Clarke Vassell scored the first goal of the match and David Robert Joseph Beckham scored the second goal of the match.
Sunderland AFC
Sunderland Association Football Club use the Stadium of Light for home games. The club was founded in 1879 under a different name. They won the English top division several times. In 1892, Sunderland AFC were crowned English football champions for the first time in their history. In 1937, they won the FA Cup for the first time in their history after beating Preston North End. Sunderland Association Football Club, also known as The Black Cats, drew an average home attendance of 33,000 in their first-ever domestic league season at the Stadium of Light. In 2018, numerous Sunderland AFC fans applied for voluntary work. They helped replace a large amount of stadium seats.
