Sunderland AFC is joining forces with the Durham Miners Association (DMA), which will see the two institutions celebrate their rich heritage and shared histories.
The partnership will see Sunderland AFC support the work of the DMA, with the club becoming a ‘Marra’ – an official friend of the Durham Miners’ Gala. The Marras group was set up to ensure that, through donations and fundraising, the annual Gala can survive and thrive, and inspire generations to come.
The 135th Durham Miners’ Gala will be held on Saturday 13 July 2019, and SAFC is to play an active part in the gala for the first time.
The club will also give its backing to the Redhills Appeal, the Durham Miners’ Association campaign to raise £5 million through donations and grant aid, to ensure the future of the Miners’ Hall in Durham as a vital centre of education, heritage, and culture.
Redhills will be a living, vibrant legacy for the countless Durham miners, their families and their communities, who built it and have ensured it has survived for more than a century.
The club’s final home game of the season against Portsmouth on Saturday 27 April has been dedicated to The Durham Miners Association and will see a number of activities taking place to kick off the partnership.
An array of miners’ banners from across the region will be proudly paraded around the Stadium of Light pitch before the game, including the historic Monkwearmouth Lodge banner, which is proudly displayed within the west stand of the stadium.
Supporters will also be able to enjoy music from the Durham Miners’ Association Colliery Band, who will be playing in the Fan Zone before the game.
Speaking about the partnership, Sunderland’s executive director, Charlie Methven, said: “There is a wonderful shared heritage and synergy between our two great organisations, which is something we are tremendously proud of.
“Sunderland’s support comes from across the region, but County Durham has, historically, always been a red and white hotbed. We want this to continue to be the case and our partnership with The Durham Miners Association will ensure that the history on which we were built remains firmly part of our future”.
Newly-appointed DMA secretary, Alan Mardghum, added: “As a life-long Sunderland supporter this is a proud moment for the DMA. Sunderland AFC has always been a Durham miner’s club and has remained true to its heritage”.
Dave Anderson, Chair, Marras - Friends of Durham Miners’ Gala - said: “This is great news for the Marras. We need all the support we can get to keep the banners flying and bands playing at the Gala.
“The event is funded solely by the people and we rely on everyone’s goodwill to keep it going.”
Information on how Sunderland supporters can become a ‘marra’ is available at www.friendsofdurhamminersgala.org. Supporters will also be able to make donations via bucket collections in the Fan Zone at the Portsmouth game.
Further information on the Redhills Appeal can be found at www.redhillsdurham.org.
The partnership is another example of the club’s ongoing commitment to County Durham, following on from the recent announcement that it is joining forces with the Durham County FA, with the two organisations coming together to support the growth and development of football, from grassroots right up to the professional level, across the region.
The Stadium of Light’s mining heritage: Sunderland’s Stadium of Light home sits on the site of the Monkwearmouth Colliery, which, before its closure in 1993, was the largest mine in Sunderland and one of the most important in County Durham.
In recognition of the history and heritage of the site, visitors are greeted on arrival by a large Davy lamp, lighting the way. A pit wheel sits proudly outside the west stand and stunning ‘the men of steel’ sculptures feature four eight-foot-tall steel men roll giant lumps of coal up the riverbank in a poignant tribute to the industrial past of the site and the city.
The Monkwearmouth Colliery banner also adorns the stadium’s south staircase in the main west stand.
