How a Sunderland fan mapped 33,672 ‘Wall of Fame’ bricks at the Stadium of Light | OneFootball

Sunderland fan and data engineer David Bambrough has built an AI-powered Wall of Fame database mapping 33,672 commemorative bricks on the Stadium of Light’s outer wall, helping supporters find their own or loved ones’ names.

According to Sunderland Echo, he ruled out crowdsourcing and doubted the logistics, having assumed just over 20,000 bricks, before pairing image recognition with manual checks.

Early transcripts were full of errors, so he iterated until it clicked, then spent almost every spare moment over about five weeks completing the catalogue.

The site also lets fans share the stories behind their dedications. One supporter found a late friend’s brick beside the turnstile they still use, and plans to touch it for luck each matchday.

Another man, searching with his two daughters after his mother’s dementia erased the location, found his dad’s brick immediately through the tool.

Bambrough then discovered his father, John Bambrough, is commemorated too, a brick he had never known about. John died 21 years ago at 67, and his stone sits two panels from David’s.

The Heaven Branch, which offers bereavement support to Sunderland fans, has arranged a drop-in at the Betsy Jenny cafe on Bridge Street between 11am and 2pm on May 30, to help less tech-savvy supporters find bricks and upload memories.

For Bambrough, it is rooted in the city’s identity, echoing Brian Clough’s view that the people make Sunderland and its club.

Source: Sunderland Echo