Sunderland AFC steward William Anderson retires aged 86, after nearly sixty years of service for the club he loves

William Anderson, 86, began working as a steward at Roker Park in 1966 and after nearly six decades of dedicated service he has eventually decided to hang-up his yellow high visibility jacket and red and white tie.

In that time he has stewarded 1966 World Cup games, when the city hosted group fixtures, seen the famous and eventually victorious FA Cup run, and witnessed an emotion draining nine promotions and 10 relegations.

Reflecting on his time working at the club William said: “Being from Sunderland, SAFC has always been my team and before I became a steward I always went to the games as a fan.

“The same group of us would go each week and stand in the same place on the terraces.

“It has been a real up and down ride all the way through the last 60 years. Things have altered drastically since the days we got paid £1 for being on the gate at Roker Park.”

As a steward at both Roker Park and then the Stadium of Light, William got to meet many of the legendary players who have played for the club - including the recently deceased King Charlie Hurley.

During the club’s last game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday the Black Cats fans paid a moving tribute to the centre half named player of the last century.

Speaking about his retirement at the same fixture, William said: “I didn’t actually meet Charlie in person during my time as a steward at Roker Park.

“However, he returned to club as a guest at a time I was leading the tours at the Stadium of Light.

“Charlie and his friends came on the tour with me and he was such a nice chap.”

When asked if he was enjoying the beginning of his retirement, William quipped: “I wish I was back working as I’m getting a lot more jobs to do now from my wife than I had when I was working.”

Following William’s retirement, SAFC posted a video of William and a post on social media which said: “Congratulations to William Anderson who has retired after almost 60 years working at Sunderland AFC.”

The post was followed by a heart emoji.