Primary school children's football designs shortlisted to be used at Sunderland's Stadium of Light on match day

Three of the city's primary school children could soon see their football designs brought to life and used on an SAFC match-day on the turf of the Stadium of Light.

Lambton Primary School pupil Adrian Britton and St Mary’s Primary pupils Ava Hunter and Eleanor have been shortlisted from 200 entries as part of the Foundation of Light's  ‘Design a Ball’ competition.

SAFC's official charity has teamed up with Alive and Kicking to give youngsters a unique opportunity to design a football that will be used for the half-time activities during the Foundation's match-day at the stadium. 

As well as being seen by thousands of fans attending the match, the winning design will be produced by the world's only non profit manufacturer of footballs, Alive and Kicking, and available to buy from the Beacon of Light shop.

Proceeds will go towards supporting the Foundation of Light.

Ten-year-old Ava chose to use the colours of the Black Cats’ change kit to bring her design to life, while Eleanor used the ‘Ha’way the Lads’ and ‘Ha’way the Lasses’ rally cries as the focus of her design.  

Season card holder Adrian from Washington said he wanted to highlight the passion and pride of the fans and incorporated the famous Black Cats eyes from the Stadium of Light display alongside the Foundation of Light’s Heart on Your Sleeve logo. 

The trio of designs will now be put to a vote to decide which creation will be manufactured and brought to life.

Supporting the competition are Black Cats stars Jobe Bellingham, Trai Hume and Luke O'Nien who are pictured showcasing the balls.

Supporters can have their say on any of the Foundation of Light’s social media channels – X formerly Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, with further information available on the Foundation's website.

Earlier this month (December) Black Cats players Mason Burstow and Jewison Bennette joined the children at the Beacon of Light to help the pupils with their designs and also show off their own creative skills.

Speaking at the event, Mason said: “I always enjoy coming down to the Beacon and seeing the kids having a good time.

"Today has been good, getting to do something different in the classroom, and I can't wait to see what the final designs look like."

Foundation of Light Managing Director, Jamie Wright said: “We’ve been delighted with the response from supporters to the contest.

"It’s a really great initiative from Alive and Kicking - not only will fans have the chance to see their creation brought to life with this one-of-a-kind competition, but they’re also championing sustainability and positive social impact.”

Alive and Kicking are known for creating ethical jobs for adults facing disadvantage where employees with no formal work experience or education have access to benefits that are often taken for granted, including a fair wage, health care and a pension scheme.

The charity use profits made from selling the footballs to "ensure young people have free and safe access to football and mental health education".