This Is Wearside: Help Fund the 2026/27 Season

Aim

Help us fund another season of displays at the Stadium of Light.

Over the past few seasons, This Is Wearside has brought supporters together to create some unforgettable moments at the Stadium of Light.

From huge mosaics, tifos and flags to displays seen by hundreds of thousands of supporters inside the stadium and millions more online, everything we do has one purpose: to make matchdays at Sunderland special and represent our city, our club and our supporters on the biggest stage possible.

The 2026/27 season brings an even bigger opportunity. With Sunderland competing in the Europa League, there will be more high-profile fixtures, more eyes on the Stadium of Light and more opportunities to showcase our support across the UK and Europe.

That also means a bigger challenge. Additional fixtures and the potential for more displays place greater demands on our existing stock, materials and volunteers. We need to expand and maintain our inventory, replace damaged or worn materials and make sure we have the resources available to take advantage of the opportunities the season brings.

Now, as we head into 2026/27, we need your help to keep it going.

This crowdfunder isn’t for one individual display. It is about giving This Is Wearside the resources we need to deliver throughout the season, at home and on the European stage.

What will the money be used for?

Running displays on this scale takes much more than what supporters see for a few minutes before kick-off.

Funds raised will help us with:

• New display inventory, including plastics, flags, banners and other display materials
• Replacing damaged or worn stock from previous seasons
• Repairs and maintenance to existing flags, banners and equipment
• Materials for new displays throughout the season
• Printing and production costs
• Storage, organisation and preparation of our inventory
• Equipment and consumables needed by our volunteers
• Contingency funding for repairs, replacements and opportunities that arise during the season

Wherever possible, we reuse materials from previous displays. Maintaining and expanding that inventory means every donation can continue creating an impact long after a single match has finished.

Why are we fundraising?

The ambition and scale of This Is Wearside has grown enormously.

Delivering displays across the Stadium of Light requires significant quantities of materials, hundreds of hours of preparation and a brilliant team of volunteers working behind the scenes.

Building our own season-long fund gives us the ability to plan further ahead, maintain our existing stock and, most importantly, create displays when the right opportunity comes along.

It also means we can continue building a sustainable inventory rather than starting from scratch every time.

Where does your money go?

This Is Wearside is volunteer-led.

Nobody involved receives a salary for the work they do. Our committee and volunteers give their time because they want to create something special for Sunderland supporters.

Money raised through this campaign will be reinvested into This Is Wearside and the costs associated with producing, maintaining and delivering displays.

Every contribution matters

Whether it’s £5, £10, £25 or more, every donation helps.

A few pounds might replace damaged materials.

A larger contribution might help produce a new flag or section of a display.

Hundreds of supporters contributing together can help us transform an entire stadium.

And if you can’t donate, sharing the crowdfunder makes a genuine difference too.

More than a display

This Is Wearside has always been about more than pieces of plastic or flags on seats.

It’s thousands of Sunderland supporters creating something together.

It’s showcasing Wearside to the world.

It’s making the Stadium of Light look and feel like nowhere else.

And it’s giving supporters those moments before kick-off where you look around the stadium and think:

This is Sunderland. This is Wearside.

If you’d like to help us keep creating those moments throughout the 2026/27 season, please support the campaign.

Ha’way the Lads.

This Is Wearside

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 9th November 2026 at 6:56pm