Sunderland AFC Supporters Association has helped both the club and the fanbase immeasurably over the years, with the organisation representing all that is good about supporting The Lads and Lasses.
It is 60 years since their inaugural meeting took place at Roker Park, and as way of a tribute to fine work carried out by the committee and volunteers over the decades Roker Report thought it would be a good time to reprint edited portions of two hugely revealing articles that helped track the early years,
both good and bad, of the group.
Both pieces featured in a souvenir brochure printed by the SAFCSA in 1990, back when they were celebrating 25 years of existence alongside a century of league football for the club.
‘At the sign of the Black Cat – Twenty-Five years on’ by Alan J Gray, chairman of SAFCSA
As most of the older supporters of Sunderland AFC will know, the Black Cat was for many years in the badge of the club. Sunderland AFC Supporters Association decided to continue to use the Black Cat as its own emblem, hence the title of this article.
Before the formation of the Supporters Association, transport to away games was organised and supervised by the late John Tennick, who was a lifelong supporter of the club, and continued to run the transport after the formation of the Association in his capacity as the first Transport Officer. He laid down a code of conduct for those travelling and this code was written into the rules of the organisation and still exists today.
At the request of the football club, it was decided in 1965 to form an official Supporters Association and a Caretaker Committee was set up with a well-known Sunderland solicitor, Mr Stanley Lambert, as its chairman. Mr Lambert produced a draft set of rules which were fully discussed and, after some amendments, were adopted as the Rules of the Association. These rules are, to a large extent, the rules which govern the Association to this day.
On the 19th July 1965, a very well-attended open meeting was held in the Main Stand at Roker Park, and the objects of the Association were explained by Mr Lambert. The objects then explained are embodied in the rules and are “the organisation of support and encouragement of Sunderland Association Football Club. The maintenance of a high standard of conduct by members of the Association at home and away matches, and during all journeys undertaken in following the team. The promotion of the best spirit of sportsmanship on all occasions. To provide a means of social intercourse and mutual help to members.” Another feature of the rules is the total ban on the carriage of alcohol on all transport run by the Association.
By early August 1965, membership of the Association totalled 3,151, by October there were 5,630 members, and this figure reached 6,344 by 6th January 1966. Regrettably, for a variety of reasons, today’s membership figures cannot compare with the above figures, but it is hoped that from now onwards the figures will continue to revive.
The longest-serving Governing Committee member is George Forster, who became a member on 9th September 1965 and was appointed Sales Manager on 14th October 1965, a position which he still holds.
1990 is a good year to celebrate our 25th anniversary, coinciding as it does with the club’s 100th year in league football. In this connection, the Association has been asked to raise funds to restore the old painting of “The Team of All the Talents” which is also nearly 100 years old. This work is actively in progress and donations are welcome. In addition (and what a big addition), the club is at last back once again where it belongs in the first division. Some of us older supporters wondered if we would ever see this again. Bob Murray, Denis Smith and Viv Busby have done a wonderful job and we feel sure that no effort will be spared to ensure that first-division status once again becomes permanent.
To achieve this, the club will need the support of everyone both home and away and what better way was there to start a new season than with a visit to our friendly rivals Norwich City. If you are not yet a member, come and join at 36 Roker Baths Road and help us maintain the splendid reputation enjoyed by over 99% of Sunderland supporters.
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’25 Years of Loyal Service’ by George W Forster, vice chairman and sales officer of SAFCSA
In our formative years we steadily built up our sales operations, getting bigger and bigger and moved to where the joiner’s shop is situated now and eventually where the club shop is now (there was no club shop as such, as the Supporters Association ran the shop then, all with voluntary labour – no one received any payment of any kind). We also had wooden kiosks in all areas of the ground. We were certainly the ‘King-Pins’ then, giving countless pounds to the football club, and there were many times when they approached us for ‘help’ and we readily gave it.
All wasn’t rosy, for in the early ‘70s, and with dwindling gates, we had to buy in souvenirs, like pennants and badges from Manchester United, Leeds United, Celtic, Rangers and Benfica. We had to do this to survive, and we did. Then came 1973 with the glorious run to the final – we were made. It was so hectic that there was just no time to check the scarves and hats etc. that we received, we were literally selling the stuff from the boxes, the turnover was fantastic, with thousands of pounds going into the kitty.
At the end of the season 1976/77, this was a black year for the Association, the shop was taken over by the football club, who had appointed a Commercial Manager from Burnley who was given access to our books. I can only surmise that he must have thought that if the Supporters Association could run a shop employing ‘hams’ (amateurs) successfully, what could professional people do (thinking of ££££££s). The governing committee was called to the boardroom and we were confronted by the directors and Commercial Manager, who outlined his plans and reason for a takeover. Evidently he had tied up a big contract with Umbro, who would supply the team with free strips, but this also entailed taking replica strips and FOOTBALL BOOTS to sell in the shop. His other ideas were to sell golf equipment and other sports gear. I well remember shaking my head and muttering, “It’s a souvenir shop – not a sports shop.” “Where’s the room for people to try football boots on?”
The club appointed an independent valuer, who went over our stock, and we both arrived at the same figure of £4,892.33, plus £333.50 for the burglar alarms and £424.44 for the grills in the shop, making a total of £5,650.27, which in those days was a small fortune. We were promised that we would be paid in full, but this never happened, for at one of our meetings a majority decision carried the day and the club was handed this on a plate with a proviso that the money be used (spent) on the physiotherapy (treatment room for Johnny Watters).
Sunderland Football Club acquired a thriving business, but sadly they did not wish to use any of our voluntary staff, they duly filled the shop with FOOTBALL BOOTS, which were still around years later, how much money was lost on this mad venture, I know not. All of the wooden kiosks in the ground were demolished and removed. For a complete season I did not have a job, but Fred Stewart, our chairman at that time, and also a director of the club, received permission from the board to enable us to sell Supporters Association souvenirs in our new premises in Roker Baths Road. As we are not in the business of competing with the club, we were and are rather limited as to what we sell, with most of our items bearing the Black Cat emblem, but what we have built up is the programmes, and we must have one of the best programme shops in the North East. Part of the profits from our shop go to the club in the form of sponsoring a player’s kit and a match ball almost every season.
Going back to 1965, the football club built for the supporters a social club, which was completed prior to the 1966 World Cup games. This was one of the finest clubs ever built for supporters and was the envy of most first-division supporters. It was aptly named the Black Cat Club. The bar takings belonged to the football club, and social event money went into the coffers of the Supporters Association. Membership was strictly controlled by the late Harold Howey, our secretary, but before one could be a member, one had to be a Supporters Association member first. It cost 5/- (25p) to be a member of the Association and 10/- (50p) to be a Black Cat Club member – these were good times. We usually allowed two coach loads of visiting supporters in the club, whose admittance was gained by ticket only. There was rarely any trouble and many friendships were forged. It is now a snooker club.
I would now like to say something briefly about transport to away games – before 1965 and the Association, John Tennick, Sunderland’s No. 1 supporter, ran transport privately from Dundas Street, he was well versed with both trains and buses. The supporters had special boards made to go on the buses, letting everyone know that these were official supporters’ coaches. The Black Cat emblem also went on the engine of the trains. Now, both the Supporters Association and the official Travel Club run coaches and we are able to work together in a harmonious manner.
Perhaps I should point out that relations between the club and the Association have never been better than at the present time, the club inform us by letter of almost everything that goes on. The club respects our independence, and in return we work very hard indeed to assist them, both financially and workwise. Billy Simmons deals with letters from people enquiring about their grandfather who played for Sunderland and could we assist with background information etc., and letters of a similar ilk. More recently, to take some ‘weight’ from the club shop, we were asked to do the programme subscribers’ mail, which is a very time-consuming job and our secretary Audrey Baillie has agreed to undertake.
Before ‘signing off’, I think that a few words are appropriate regarding our Branches, of which our most recent is our Iceland Branch, which came under our wing this year. They have all made magnificent contributions and their support cannot be underestimated, they loyally accept and abide by our rules, and without them we would be all the poorer. Their combined membership must be in excess of 1,500 to 2,000 and when going away it is nice to see quite a number from the various branches and to be able to have a few words with them. As far as I am concerned, we are ONE big family, supporting a GREAT club.
Proceeds made from sales of the brochure went towards the ‘picture restoration fund’ that had been created to finance work needed on Thomas MM Hemy’s famous 1895 oil painting ‘A Corner Kick’. Featuring a Sunderland game against Aston Villa played at Newcastle Road, the piece now takes pride of place in the Jimmy Montgomery Stand reception area at the Stadium of Light.
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