Off the field operations

Anyone looking for the retro top but struggling to order, I’ve just been into club shop and they’ve just had a new delivery of all sizes. Boxes behind the counter. They also have boxes of the Patrick jacket behind the counter too.

 

Look you're not helping - I'm in enough trouble with the missus as it is!

 

Yeah me too mate. Went in to get her a scarf only as I saw the tops had sold out online. Came out having spent nearly £150!

I reckon she’ll love her scarf though

 

We did that the other week. Went in for the third strip for the grandsons birthday, came out with said strip, the yellow Patrick to for me, shin pads for grandson for Xmas and a flag for the missus for when we go to the Ashes in January and about a £150 lighter!

 

Got both, sad bastard that I am. For anybody wondering about sizing, I would say shirt is same size wise as new blue away. Track top is larger fitting. I needed 2XL for shirt but XL for track top. They are beautiful

 

Just been reading an article about my American Football team breaking into the current top 10 brands in the league and the paragraph below resonated with all the great work Sunderland are doing off the pitch:


https://reelchicago.com/article/chicago-bears-crack-nfls-top-10-strongest-brands/

Chicago Bears crack NFL’s top 10 strongest brands

... For Chicago, cracking the strength top 10 signals momentum that extends beyond win-loss records. Stronger brand equity fuels ticketing, sponsorships, merchandise, and media engagement, and builds resilience through the inevitable ups and downs of a season. “A strong brand… attracts new fans, builds resilience during downturns, and sustains engagement beyond immediate on-field performance,” added Laurence Newell, Managing Director, Americas, Brand Finance...

 

Absolutely fantastic watch. I love the stuff that the club are putting out lately

 

Loved every second of that....brilliant!

 

Superb watch that. Really enjoyed it.

 

Great watch and the role JD played in Granits signing

 

A decent watch for me explaining who does what behind the scenes

 

Wearside club gives Japanese student cherished connections between local and English fan communities

Kaze is a 19-year-old student in Tokyo, who uses his dual nationality to pioneer a space for Japanese Sunderland fans across the island.

Over 9,000km away from the city of Sunderland, Japanese-American Kaze has found connection, self-expression and a sense of relation when supporting the Black Cats from the comfort of his community in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Kaze has been a Sunderland fan since childhood, thanks to his father’s fandom and his love of old football magazines.

Through both digital and physical spaces, Kaze has found that finding connections between Japanese and English fan communities have been his most cherished moments.

Through his fan community, he has been determined to forge more connections between the UK and Asia, with the aim of making the game more inclusive and accessible.

“It’s important to communicate with people who come from completely different backgrounds, as it broadens our view of culture and enables acceptance of others and their communities.”

Founder of his own Sunderland-dedicated fan account, Kaze holds live pre-match analysis and provides match commentary and manager interviews in Japanese, giving historical and cultural context to his Japanese listeners.



However, Kaze doesn’t just include his local Japanese fan group, he extends invitations to in-person watch parties for travelling English-speaking Sunderland fans looking to watch the game while abroad.

When English fans began joining Kaze and his fan group, the Japanese supporters were taught local English chants and cultural history, like Sunderland’s history of boxing.

To Kaze, these cultural exchanges through football allow everyone to forget about the divisions present in today’s world and unite over a shared love of the game.

“There are people from each and every one of these communities, even if they seem distant from the community we usually belong to. And I think this process [of communicating with people from other cultures] broadens the view of most people and enables acceptance of other people in other communities and cultures since they know there are actual people, actual decent people who belong to each community and they mean little harm to yours.”

Together, Kaze and his community are unified through the ups and downs of supporting their club that they see as a home away from home. And while Japanese culture can at times demand politeness and modesty, Kaze explains, football matches allow him to discover a different side of his identity alongside his peers.

As Sunderland settle back into the Premier League, Kaze finds comfort knowing he has fellow fans all around the world to share this new era, motivating him to keep on his pursuit of looking beyond borders to create experiences with supporters in other countries far and wide.

 

Love anything like this

 

Good watch that. Laughing at the cages and wind! Someone said in the comments in the video think the lads got ptsd from the wind! He mentioned he loved the cages about 35 times. There no way thats stopping the wind Jermain ffs!

 

It looks like the same fencing that's been up at the new 'FA Hubs' at downhill and pennywell for a few years. Its definitely not stopping the wind mind