After eight years in the Championship, Sunderland are back in the Premier League, which only means one thing – the Tyne and Wear Derby. The home grounds of both teams are fortresses to most of the league. Newcastle United FC boast their 52,264 capacity in St James’ Park, which opposes Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light’s 48,707. However, just because the Stadium of Light has less seats doesn’t mean it has less heart!
Starting with the transport links and accessibility to the ground, the Stadium of Light is a 10-minute walk from the aptly named metro station ‘Stadium of Light,’ and an 18-minute walk to Sunderland’s railway station. There isn’t a large bus station nearby however, so metro or train is your best bet! As it isn’t in the centre, Sunderland’s stadium does have less bars and restaurants to frequent before and after the game, but Sheepfolds Stables is a lovely events space with a few lively places to go and grab a drink or bite to eat!
St James does seem to take the cake on this front, however, as there is a staggering 174 pubs and bars within one mile of the stadium. Granted, this is due to it being in the city centre, as is the 2-minute walk from the metro and the 8-minute walk to both the bus and train stations, but surely the extra 50,000 people in the city centre can only make it more brilliant!
St James does seem to take the cake on this front, however, as there is a staggering 174 pubs and bars within one mile of the stadium.
The facilities are an additional talking point when referring to football stadiums, as they often offer more than just a football ground. St James has around 4,500 spaces worth of capacity for conferences and events, with 100 executive boxes and 9 spaces to enjoy a party or a conference. Alongside this, there are 234 wheelchair spaces in the capacity of the ground, which is around 0.45% of the stadium – it doesn’t seem like a lot but the website and box office appear to be very accommodating.
This is very similar to the Stadium of Light, with 196 wheelchair spaces coming to around 0.4% of the total capacity. While they are not quite as up to speed as the Magpies, Sunderland do still boast around a 2,000 persons capacity for their events, with 6 spaces ranging in size. Both stadiums, however, are still football grounds, so to have events spaces is simply good for business!
St James gets its name from a chapel and hospital that used to stand where the Hancock Museum stands today...
The clubs and stadiums history is something that is certainly important to comparison between the two. Despite the first game at St James Park being played in 1880, the club wasn’t officially formed until 1892. This is because the opposing clubs of Newcastle West End and Newcastle East End eventually decided to become friends when the West End club began to fall under, and the newly formed Newcastle United took its home at the Cathedral on the Hill. St James gets its name from a chapel and hospital that used to stand where the Hancock Museum stands today that was also named after the Saint.
While Sunderland was formed before Newcastle United, the Stadium of Light wasn’t used until the 1990s. In 1879, James Allan called a meeting to begin the Sunderland and District Teachers’ Association Football Club, but just a year later, non-teachers were allowed to join and SAFC was born. The Black Cats have since been champions of the first division 6 times, the most recent being in 1936, and their original home was called Roker Park. However, in 1997, Sunderland felt they needed an upgrade and moved into their new home, the Stadium of Light. The name refers to the rich mining history of the North East and is reminiscent of the light that miners would look forward to at the end of their shifts.
Both clubs have such intense and beautiful history, which makes it strange to see how the rivalry fits into the tale. Whether it started with the English Civil War way back in the 17th century, or when Sunderland was ripped away from County Durham and put with Newcastle in the Tyne and Wear county, the rivalry sticks and everyone can only look forward to seeing how it plays out across the season!