Roker Park centre circle plaque campaign draws thousands of supporters | OneFootball

A push to install a Sunderland AFC commemorative plaque on the roundabout marking Roker Park’s former centre circle has surged online, with thousands already backing it.

According to Sunderland Echo, the old ground housed the Black Cats from 1898 to 1997 before the move to the Stadium of Light, and many older supporters still see it as the club’s spiritual home, recalling the Roker Roar.

Co-founders Gav Blakey, 41, and Ged Mullen-Buick, also 41, both from Houghton-le-Spring, want the site clearly signposted for younger fans, noting that beyond streets named after former stands there is little to show what once stood there.

Blakey cites family ties and early memories of the Fulwell End, and he recalls Gordon Armstrong’s winning header in the 1992 FA Cup quarter-final as a formative moment.

The pair were inspired by plaques marking the centre circles at former grounds including Maine Road, Highbury and The Dell, and feel a similar marker would complement the club’s recent nods to nostalgia, from retro shirts to the Welcome to Sunderland sign.

After designing a support page at the weekend, Mullen-Buick launched it on Monday and almost 2,300 people had signed within days, with fans’ groups and the Fans’ Museum sharing the appeal and feedback overwhelmingly positive.

They plan to present the signatures to the club and the City Council to try to make it happen, and with next year marking 30 years since Roker Park closed, they hope a plaque could be in place to help mark the anniversary. Supporters can add their names at https://rokerplaque.com, where each signature appears on a digital brick.

Source: Sunderland Echo