The 135 years of SAFC history.

If anyone is interested, going on display.





WEARSIDE historians are hoping to score a hit with an exhibition marking the 135th anniversary of Sunderland AFC.

A six-week birthday celebration is to be held at Sunderland Antiquarian Society featuring images and memorabilia charting the club’s rich history.

“The exhibition is made up primarily of rarely-seen photographs of the club through the years,” said author and society secretary Philip Curtis.

“We’ve also got handwritten match reports covering every first team, reserve and friendly match from the 1880s – right through to 1962.

“These were transcribed from newspapers of the time and took 25 years to complete. They are of such interest that we’ve put together a CD of them.

“And there are 400 large scrapbooks covering every match from 1962 to 2006 too, with at least one photo from each game. Absolutely fascinating.”

The roots of SAFC date to 1879, when Glasgow-born Wearside teacher James Allan founded Sunderland and District Teachers’ Association Football Club.

Robert Singleton was appointed as the club’s first captain, with W Elliott the team secretary. The first home ground was Hendon’s Blue House Field.

“The club’s first match was a less than auspicious 1-0 defeat to Ferryhill during the teacher’s Christmas holiday,” said historian Carol Roberton.

“Indeed, the team came perilously close to going out of business in the early days, until membership was opened up to outsiders – not just teachers.”

The club was renamed Sunderland AFC in 1880, with the enthusiastic amateurs moving from Hendon to a pitch near The Cedars during the 1881-82 campaign.

A second move, to a field now part of Ashbrooke cricket ground, took place later that season, while the summer of 1883 saw them settle in Roker Avenue.

“Finally, Allan’s dedication to the world of football started to pay off and, in 1890, the club replaced Stoke in the Football League,” said Carol.

“Success was almost immediate, as the club won the league championship in the 1891-92 season. They were even declared as “The Team of All Talents”.

Success then followed success, with three championships in five extraordinary campaigns – as well as the league’s first 100-goal season in 1892-93.

By the mid-1930s the Black Cats had been crowned League champions six times and, in 1937, brought the FA Cup back home after beating Preston 3-1.

Almost 40 years later, in 1973, the FA Cup returned to Wearside following a 1-0 win over Leeds – and it has been a roller-coaster ride ever since.

“Of course there have been down times along the way but, you expect that in football. The club takes the knocks and keeps fighting,” said Philip.

“Our photos are evocative of the era before players earned multi-million-pound wages and teams began to be assembled with players from around the world.

“I’m sure that anyone interested in Sunderland, or the history of the club, will find our exhibition fascinating. There is something for everyone.

“Many of the photos have never been seen by Wearsiders and we hope they will bring memories flooding back for older fans, while at the same time show youngsters a little of the history of the club.”

* The display will run from October 25 to November 30 at Sunderland Antiquarian Society, 6 Douro Terrace. It is open each Wednesday and Saturday from 9am until noon.

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/histo...tion-marks-safc-s-135th-anniversary-1-6910369

 

Cheers Comm, I'm spewing I can't get over there this year as this would be fantastic for me to see to get more of an insight into SAFC

 

Do you still have a video player marra?

 

Hey brother! No I don't unfortunately. But maybe able to get me hands on to one through a mate!

 

I studied this growing up. It's a fab video, can seem to find it converted though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sunderlan...?pt=UK_DVD_Film_TV_Videos&hash=item1e92fda792

My version ****ed up with over playing but it was very informative. Can't find it on you tube or anything,

 

Thank you very much mate, it's much appreciated!

 

You'd probably need a british video player as well, i don't know. It's high time the club released an updated version of this on dvd.

 

Didn't even think of that mate, as we're apart of the commonwealth I'd thought they'd be the same

 

I appreciate that your post may be precised, Commo. But the way it reads is incorrect. James Allen had left Sunderland in Spring, 1888 to form Sunderland Albion, based at Hendon. They played two 'friendlies' with the revamped Sunderland between then and 1890. In the second, Sunderland went ahead 3-2 on a late disputed goal. The goal stood, and several of the Albion players walked off the field. The crowd were disgusted, and as their horse-drawn carriages took them back to Hendon, the Albion squad were stoned. James Allen was hit in the eye.

The revamped club that entered the Football League and had such early success was under James Thompson Jnr. (Chairman) James Marr (Secretary) Samuel Tyzack (Treasurer) and, from summer 1889, Tom Watson, the clubs first professional manager. The Newcastle Rd. ground was developed under them, with a crowd capacity of 15,000.

 

Love this kind of stuff, we talked before about Tyzack, and we established that Tyzacks crecent on Fulwell road, is named after his family, as that was where his family business was before.

But what about Thompson? Seeing as the ground was on Newcastle road, am i guessing correctly that Thompson also owned the land that is still known as Thompsons park?

How far down Newcastle road was the ground, about where the hospitial is?

 

Thompson was the owner of J. L. Thompson's shipyard at North Sands. The early 1890s were a big time for them. They launched their first ships over 4,000 tons in 1891 - Port Chalmers (4,154 tons) and Yarrawonga (4,010 tons). The following year, they headed the Wear's production, and were pretty much the Wear's leading yard for the rest of the 1890s. James Marr joined Thompsons when the Oswald shipyard closed and quickly rose to General Manager. Later, he became a board member of the re-opened Laings shipyard (the original having gone into voluntary liquidation) and early in the 20th century there is a Marr's shipyard on record. This irks me a bit. The Chairman and Secretary of SAFC's most successful period ever were shipbuilders, and I can't see any justification for removing the ship from our badge. That really pissed me off, and still does. Thompson Park I don't know about, but it was certainly a family on the up at that time.

Newcastle Rd. ground. O.k., walk from Crozier St towards Fulwell Mill. On the right hand side, just short of Newcastle Rd. Baths is a little footpath between the houses which leads to a housing estate. That estate was built in the 1930s on the land where the football ground had been. If anybody still living in Sunderland can help us out with street names here, that would help, but my memory of those street names is long gone.

Hope this helps mate.

 

Wearmouth Ave/Wearmouth drive or the other side of the baths?

 

Wearmouth Avenue rings a faint bell as I had relatives who lived there. Also, I've just tried to see it on an internet map and it looks like a narrow cut up to Newcastle Rd. That would be it. I distinctly remember that footbath. It's just a little cut between two houses on Newcastle Rd. So, yes, I think you've got the right area for it.