Stadium of Light | Co-Curate

The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium which is home to Sunderland AFC. The football club had been based at Roker Park for 99 years, but the new ground was needed to increase capacity at the same time as meeting safety recommendations for all-seater stadia after the Hillsbrough Disaster in 1989. In 1995, Sunderland put forward the plan to build a stadium on the site of Wearmouth Colliery, which had closed in December 1993. The site is close to the north bank of the River Wear and close to the centre of the city of Sunderland. The name of the stadium is a tribute to the region’s mine-workers and proud industrial heritage as well as being a guiding light in the future. A colliery wheel and a Davy lamp monument are located outside the stadium to reflect the coal mining industry that brought prosperity to Sunderland. The Stadium of Light was opened by Prince Andrew 30th July 1997. The Stadium was expanded in 2000, with the capacity increasing to 49,000.  In addition to being a place for sport, the stadium is sometimes used as a concert venue.