Long list for the Lasses
Sunderland AFC Women were busy in September, with a raft of announcements being made ahead of their new season.
Total Construction North East, who had been the men’s back of short sponsor for 2024-25, are now the women’s front of shirt partner, whilst Nuby have switched round to the back of shirt. The logo of Stephen Hope Wealth will be seen on the sleeves, with A Jay Brickwork going on the shorts, which will be blue instead of white when the Lasses use their change strip.
A club partnership scheme
aimed at encouraging strong links with grassroots football has also been launched; the partnership programme will allow community groups, schools and local clubs the chance to obtain discounted match tickets, arrange player appearances and other experiences, with more information available here.
Alongside all of that, Head Coach Mel Reay has confirmed that recent signing Rhiannon Roberts will be the new team captain, with further new additions to the playing staff also being announced. Manchester United forward Keira Barry will be part of the squad until the end of December and is joined by clubmate Evie Rabjohn (season long loan) and Manchester City’s Tara O’Hanlon.
The new faces have joined a group that has made a fantastic unbeaten start in Women’s Super League 2. They are next in action on Sunday afternoon, with Charlton Athletic providing the opposition. For tickets or more information, click here.
Wandering Cats
Oli Bainbridge and his U21s teammate Trey Ogunsuyi have joined the list of Sunderland professionals currently out on loan as they look to progress their careers. Fullback Bainbridge will be with National League North side South Shields until the new year, whilst Ogunsuyi is due to spend the full season with Scottish Premiership outfit Falkirk, and came on as a second half substitute in their most recent fixture.
Ha’way Partners
Just like the Lasses, the Lads have also seen some commercial developments. AK Teaching have extended their partnership, meaning their flagbearer initiative will continue to offer local schoolchildren the chance to be part of the pre-match build up, whilst older fans could now be in line for prizes such as cars and holidays following a new link with Wolf Competitions, who have become sponsors of the Stadium of Light’s newly refurbished tunnel area.
In another behind the scenes move, Mike Papadimitriou has been made the club’s Chief Financial Officer. Having previously carried out a similar role for Formula E, this latest post will see him combine his duties with those performed for the Bia Sports Group, which is owned by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori.
High profile praise for the FoL
Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson MP has put herself forward as a candidate for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party, and during a recent visit to her Houghton and Sunderland South constituency was keen to highlight the ongoing work of the Foundation of Light.
Having met pupils at Sandhill View Academy and seen first-hand the improvements made to attendance, plus the efforts being made to challenge inequality and stereotyping, Phillipson said she had been inspired by the progress. To read the full story, click here.
The rest is history
Following a successful launch last season, Sunderland have confirmed that Founders’ Week will return on the 13th of October. A programme of events that will celebrate the club’s history will take place leading up to that weekend’s home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with further details set to be announced via official SAFC channels in the coming days.
Concerts Back for Good?
It has been revealed that the Stadium of Light will be hosting at least one major concert next summer, with Take That heading back to Wearside as part of their ‘The Circus Live’ tour. The band have performed at the ground several times already, including in 2011 when they kicked off their famous Progress show in Sunderland.
It marked the first time the group had performed live alongside former member Robbie Williams since his departure in 1995, a hugely anticipated event that brought large scale focus on the city, and it is hoped that more gigs are being lined up for the coming years.
Putting on a Performance
A hectic month was concluded when Sunderland AFC announced several newcomers into its ‘performance domain’.
Keen to get as much of an edge as possible in a game of fine margins, a Head of First Team Performance, Shad Forsythe, and a Senior Performance Coach, Luke Cooper, have both been installed. The former boasts an extremely impressive cv that includes roles with Arsenal, the German national side and Borussia Dortmund, with his job description being leading an ‘elite, multidisciplinary high-performance programme’, whereas Cooper has strong experience elsewhere also. A former Sheffield Wednesday employee, he had been head of sports science at New York City FC for the last five years.
Meanwhile, Head of Performance Jamie Harley has also welcomed Colette Miller, who will be part of the back-room staff as a Soft-tissue Therapist, and Liam Howells, a Lead Performance Nutritionist, who will be working for the club in partnership with the INTRA Performance Group. The recruitment of a further Nutritionist is still ongoing too, and Roker Report extends their best wishes to all of those getting stuck into jobs at the club.
