Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club (/ˈsʌndərlənd/ ⓘ, locally /ˈsʊndlən/) is an English professional football club based in the city of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. The team compete in the Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
| Full name | Sunderland Association Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Black Cats | |||
| Short name | SAFC | |||
| Founded | 1879 (as Sunderland and District Teachers) | |||
| Ground | Stadium of Light | |||
| Capacity | 49,000 | |||
| Owner | Kyril Louis-Dreyfus (64%) Juan Sartori (36%) | |||
| Chairman | Kyril Louis-Dreyfus | |||
| Head Coach | Michael Beale | |||
| League | EFL Championship | |||
| 2022–23 | EFL Championship, 6th of 24 | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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Formed in 1879, the club has won six top-flight titles (1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, and 1936) in the First Division, and has finished runners-up five times. The club has also won the FA Cup twice (1937 and 1973) and been runners-up twice (1913 and 1992), as well as winning the FA Charity Shield in 1936 and being finalists the following year. Sunderland have also been Football League Cup finalists in 1985 and 2014.
Nicknamed the Black Cats, Sunderland play their home games at the 49,000-capacity all-seater Stadium of Light having moved from Roker Park in 1997. The original ground capacity was 42,000 which was increased to 49,000 following expansion in 2000. The club has a long-standing rivalry with nearby club Newcastle United, with whom the Tyne–Wear derby has been contested since 1898. The club has played in red and white-striped shirts and black shorts for nearly the entirety of its history.