Comprehensive planning is underway at Sunderland AFC to ensure the club is fully prepared for the start of the 2020-21 season.
Whilst we hope to begin the campaign with supporters in attendance at the Stadium of Light, it is expected that social distancing measures and other safety protocols will be in place when fans return.
Of course, this will heavily impact upon the stadium’s overall capacity and could result in some supporters being unable to sit in their desired location.
The club is continuing to follow SGSA guidance and will work with the relevant governing bodies and supporters’ groups to ensure the matchday experience remains as authentic as possible, whilst also adhering to all of the safety measures set.
With season card sales already surpassing the 12,000-mark, which is in line with the reduced capacity estimated, we have today taken the decision to pause all new season card sales until further notice.
We appreciate that many fans will be disappointed by this news, but we will provide a further update regarding additional sales once further clarification around supporter attendance has been provided.
In the meantime, the club will continue to liaise with the SGSA and the relevant governing bodies, and we hope to boost that estimated figure by 2,000-3000 in the short term.
Finally, thank you for your continued patience and understanding throughout these unprecedented and unpredictable times.
We will endeavour to provide further detailed updates in the coming weeks, and we hope to see you all back at the Stadium of Light once it is safe to do so.