For decades, Sunderland has been known for its industrial heritage – shipbuilding, coal mining and a fierce loyalty to its football club. But in recent years, a new identity has steadily taken shape. Since being officially recognised as a “Music City”, Sunderland has begun to reposition itself as a hub of creativity, collaboration and emerging […]

How students from around the world navigate University of Sunderland’s screen‑driven & cashless campuses.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Md2-2GGE9Y Word count: 1,008 Full time at the First Cloud Arena, March 16th, 2025, Kidderminster Harriers travelled back to Worcester fresh off a 5-0 dismantling of South Shields, boos rang out as fans faced their worst season in over a decade. To make things worse, Shields would fail to win another game in […]

In the 1980s/90s football fanzines were common place at football grounds with 1,816 having been produced at some point. Now the 75 that are left continuing the tradition are facing an uncertain future. In this article, Spark’s Ciaran Myers speaks to those involved in fanzines to find out why they were so important and what […]

Lynden Gooch first visited Wearside at the age of 10 years-old, 17 years later he departed widely known as an ‘adopted Mackem’, representing Sunderland 247 times, scoring the winning goal in Sunderland’s first Wembley win since 1973 and restored the club back into the second tier.   Spark Sunderland has had the opportunity to speak to Gooch and talk through his […]