Thousands back call for Roker Park centre-circle plaque | OneFootball

A fan-led push for a Sunderland AFC plaque on the roundabout marking Roker Park’s former centre circle has surged online. According to Sunderland Echo, the pair, Gav Blakey and graphic designer Ged Mullen-Buick, are fronting it, with thousands backing the idea.

Roker Park was the Black Cats’ home from 1898 to 1997 before the switch to the Stadium of Light on the old Wearmouth Colliery. The new ground is writing its story, but many still see Roker Park, and the Roker Roar, as the spiritual home.

Blakey, 41, from Houghton-le-Spring, says the ground shaped his childhood, from a Fulwell End season ticket aged two to Gordon Armstrong’s 1992 FA Cup quarter-final winner. He feels few would now realise a stadium once stood here. Mullen-Buick, also 41 and from Houghton-le-Spring, notes there is no club plaque on site.

They took inspiration from centre-circle markers at Maine Road, Highbury and Southampton’s Dell. With the club leaning into nostalgia through retro shirts and the Welcome to Sunderland sign, they argue a plaque would give families a clear point for stories.

After launching the support page on Monday, they say nearly 2,300 people have signed, with shares from fan groups and the Fans’ Museum. The pair plan to present the list to the club and the City Council. They hope a plaque could help mark 30 years since Roker Park closed next year.

Source: Sunderland Echo