For 99 years, Roker Park was Sunderland A.F.C.’s home and one of English football’s most feared away trips. Its banked terraces produced the legendary ‘Roker Roar’, and its record crowd of 75,118 is still the biggest ever for a football match in North East England.
This guide covers how the ground was built up stand by stand and how its capacity swelled and then shrank over a century. It also gives every score and crowd figure from its 1966 World Cup matches, the story of the final games in May 1997, and what stands on the site today.
Quick Answer
Roker Park was Sunderland A.F.C.’s ground in the Roker area of Sunderland, used from 10 September 1898 until May 1997. It was designed for around 60,000, held a record crowd of 75,118 for an FA Cup tie in March 1933, and had shrunk to roughly 22,500 by its last season. It hosted four 1966 World Cup matches, including a quarter-final. It was demolished in 1998, and the site is now a housing estate with streets named after the old ground, such as Clockstand Close and Goalmouth Close.
A Stadium Built for the Crowds: The History of Roker Park
Roker Park was Sunderland’s sixth ground, built after the club outgrew its Newcastle Road site. It was opened on 10 September 1898 by Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry. The opening match, a Football League First Division fixture against Liverpool, ended in a 1–0 Sunderland win, with Jim Leslie scoring the ground’s first goal.
The stadium grew steadily over the following decades. The Roker End terrace was concreted in 1912, and it eventually held around 17,000 standing fans. In 1929 the celebrated stadium architect Archibald Leitch designed a new Main Stand, whose criss-cross lattice ironwork made it instantly recognisable. Fragments of that lattice work were later preserved and now form part of the Stadium of Light car park. The Clock Stand was rebuilt in 1936 as a long two-tier structure, roughly 114 metres (about 375 feet) along the touchline.
In 1952 Roker Park became only the second English ground, after Arsenal’s Highbury, to install floodlights. Over 1,800 league games were played at Roker Park during its lifetime.
The Stands of Roker Park
The ground had four distinct sides. The Main Stand, Leitch’s 1929 design, was the architectural centrepiece. Facing it across the pitch stood the Clock Stand, rebuilt in 1936 with two covered tiers and topped by the clock that gave it its name.
Behind the goals sat the Roker End and the Fulwell End. The Roker End was a huge concrete terrace, but large sections were demolished in 1982 as safety regulations tightened, permanently cutting the ground’s capacity. The Fulwell End was given a roof and seating ahead of the 1966 World Cup, updating the ground for international football.
Roker Park Capacity: How It Changed Over 99 Years
Capacity figures for Roker Park vary by source and by era, because terrace grounds were rarely counted precisely. It was designed for around 60,000, and some sources put the figure higher after the 1936 Clock Stand rebuild.
For the 1966 World Cup, the ground’s capacity was 40,310. From there the decline was steady: the partial demolition of the Roker End in 1982 cut capacity, and the 1989 Hillsborough disaster and the resulting Taylor Report accelerated the fall. The Taylor Report required top-flight grounds to become all-seater.
Roker Park was hemmed in on all sides by housing and could not expand, so redeveloping it was impractical. By its final season capacity was about 22,500, with only a small proportion of that seated. That is less than half of its peak.
Roker Park Record Attendance: 75,118
The record attendance at Roker Park is 75,118, set in an FA Cup sixth-round replay against Derby County in March 1933. Most sources date the match to 8 March 1933, though some give 4 March. It remains the biggest crowd for a football match in North East England. It was far above the ground’s official capacity of around 60,000, and the crush of spectators around the pitch edges became part of the game’s legend.
Roker Park and the 1966 World Cup
Roker Park was one of the venues for the 1966 World Cup and staged four matches in Group 4 and the knockout stage:
Italy 2–0 Chile (27,199); Soviet Union 1–0 Italy (27,793, the highest crowd of the four); Soviet Union 2–1 Chile (16,027); and Soviet Union 2–1 Hungary in the quarter-final (26,844).
Those results sent the Soviet Union into the semi-finals, and Italy were eliminated in the group stage.
The Roker Roar
Few English grounds generated an atmosphere as intense as Roker Park. The tight, banked terraces funnelled noise straight onto the pitch, and the sound became known as the Roker Roar. One famous story has a journalist covering a 1973 FA Cup tie against Manchester City searching the ground the next day for hidden amplifiers, convinced the noise couldn’t be natural. The groundsman’s reply was: “There’s no bloody amplifiers here mate.”
The Final Matches at Roker Park
The last competitive match at Roker Park was a 3–0 Premier League win over Everton on 3 May 1997. Sunderland were relegated that season, but the ground still got a proper send-off. The scorers were Paul Stewart (penalty), Chris Waddle and Allan Johnston.
The very last game at the ground was a farewell friendly against Liverpool on 13 May 1997. Sunderland won 1–0, with John Mullin scoring the final goal at the Fulwell End. Afterwards, club legend Charlie Hurley dug up the centre spot so it could be replanted at the new Stadium of Light, which became the club’s home from the 1997–98 season. Sunderland’s record at Roker Park across those decades included a remarkable unbeaten run of league games in its final stretch.
What Is on the Site of Roker Park Today?
Roker Park was demolished in 1998, and the land was redeveloped as a housing estate. You can’t visit the stadium itself, but the street names preserve its memory: Clockstand Close, Goalmouth Close, Promotion Close, Midfield Drive, Turnstile Mews and Roker Park Close.
To see physical relics, head to the Stadium of Light, where fragments of Archibald Leitch’s Main Stand lattice work are preserved in the car park and the centre spot from Roker Park was replanted. The club’s history pages on the official Sunderland AFC site cover the ground’s story.
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Roker Park FAQs
What was the capacity of Roker Park?
It was designed for around 60,000 and was about 40,310 for the 1966 World Cup. By its final season in 1996–97 it had fallen to roughly 22,500, with only part of that seated.
What was the record attendance at Roker Park?
75,118, for an FA Cup sixth-round replay against Derby County in March 1933. Most sources date it to 8 March, though some say 4 March. It is the biggest crowd for a football match in North East England.
When did Sunderland leave Roker Park?
Sunderland played their last competitive game there on 3 May 1997, a 3–0 win over Everton, and a final farewell friendly against Liverpool on 13 May 1997. The club moved to the Stadium of Light for the 1997–98 season.
Which 1966 World Cup games were played at Roker Park?
Four: Italy 2–0 Chile, Soviet Union 1–0 Italy, Soviet Union 2–1 Chile, and the quarter-final Soviet Union 2–1 Hungary.
Why did Sunderland leave Roker Park?
The ground was surrounded by housing and could not expand. After the Taylor Report required all-seater stadiums, the club chose to build a new ground rather than attempt a cramped, costly rebuild.
What is on the Roker Park site now?
A housing estate. Its streets are named after the old ground, including Clockstand Close, Goalmouth Close, Promotion Close, Midfield Drive and Turnstile Mews.
Who designed Roker Park’s Main Stand?
Archibald Leitch, who designed the 1929 Main Stand. Fragments of its lattice ironwork are now preserved at the Stadium of Light car park.
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