Roker Park

In the 1890s, Sunderland chairman and his brother decided to build a bigger ground to replace Newcastle Road. The club bought farmland from Mr. Tennant, with the agreement that Sunderland would build a house on the site as well as the stadium. Within a year, Roker Park had been built, with the wooden stands taking only three months to construct. The Clock Stand had 32 steps, no seats and a crush barrier. The turf was brought from Ireland and lasted 38 years. The pitch was designed with a slight drop from centre to corners for drainage. The first event was an Olympic Games and Band Contest on 12 August 1898. Roker Park was officially opened on 10 September 1898 by the 6th Marquess of Londonderry, with the first match a friendly against Liverpool which Sunderland won 1-0. The stadium became famous for the 'Roker Roar', with Tottenham and Northern Ireland captain Danny Blanchflower writing that 'Nothing ever equalled the intensity of that wild roar at Roker Park'. The Roker End was concreted in 1912, and by 1913 capacity had risen to 50,000. In 1929 the old wooden grandstand was replaced by a new Main Stand designed by Archibald Leitch, whose criss-cross lattice work can still be seen at Ibrox, Home Park and Goodison Park. The work nearly bankrupted the club. In 1936 the Clock Stand was rebuilt. In 1943, during World War II, a bomb landed on the pitch and another nearby killed a policeman. In 1952, Roker Park was fitted with floodlights, only the second ground in the country after Arsenal's Highbury. When England hosted the 1966 World Cup, improvements were made and the capacity was 40,310. In the 1980s, with the club's downturn including a season in the Third Division, Roker Park declined. Following the Taylor Report after Hillsborough, capacity was severely reduced. New FA rules meant the stadium would need expensive upgrades to all-seater status, and the club decided to build a new stadium instead. Sunderland's final game at Roker Park was on 25 April 1997, a 2-0 win over Everton. The ground was demolished in 1998 and the site redeveloped for housing, with Sunderland moving to the new Stadium of Light on the banks of the River Wear.

Roker Park was famous for the 'Roker Roar', described by Danny Blanchflower as unrivalled in intensity. The turf for the pitch was brought from Ireland and lasted 38 years. The pitch was designed with a slight drop of about one foot from centre to each corner for drainage. The wooden stands took only three months to build. The record attendance was 75,118 for an FA Cup match against Derby County on 4 March 1933. In 1929, the new Main Stand designed by Archibald Leitch nearly bankrupted the club. Fragments of Leitch's iconic criss-cross lattice work from the Main Stand were later used to separate parts of the car park at the Stadium of Light. In 1943, during World War II, a bomb landed in the middle of the pitch and another nearby killed a policeman. In 1952, Roker Park was fitted with floodlights, only the second ground in England after Arsenal's Highbury. The ground hosted 1966 World Cup matches with a capacity of 40,310. The Clock Stand was 114m (375ft) long. Sunderland's final game at Roker Park was a 2-0 win over Everton on 25 April 1997.