Sunderland chief reveals interesting plan for short and long-term Stadium of Light changes for fans

Sunderland’s new Chief Business Officer believes fans will see a difference to their Stadium of Light experience next season after of a significant wave of investment this summer, but has underlined that there is much more to be done in future.

David Bruce has made improving the experience a key part of his new role at the club, bringing in a new kit partner in hummel and a new retail partner in Fanatics. The matchday experience is a key part of his plans, with a focus on bringing in new audiences and the next generation of fans.

A multi-million pound programme of works for the new summer is already under way, but Bruce has made clear that this is the just start of a much wider programme. “We've got to make that Stadium a must have rather than a nice to have. We've got to put the fan at the heart of everything we do and create experiences and engagement opportunities. We're trying to do that in the summer with the investment that's going into the stadium, the owner is putting more money into it than has been at any stage over the last 20 years. It's not insignificant, the new PA system, the new pitch, floodlights, safe standing and 5G capabilities. There's ways we can really drive the experience of it and that in turn will bring more out of the fans.

“There's a plan that started last year, we updated the hospitality areas which really needed that and we've got two brilliant facilities now with Quinn's Bar and Montgomery's Bar. There's ongoing maintenance and updates going on through the season which we probably need to get a bit tighter around. As I mentioned, there's a lot of investment going in this summer. One of the things that we've talked about internally and started to tease out there is, 'how do we inject the Stadium and its surroundings with more personality?' We want to make it feel like Sunderland because I think that's one thing that's missing. We want to bring that heart and soul back and find a way to express that, because it's what makes the club special. There's so much we can do there, clearly that's partly investment but there's a lot of other things we can do there to help inspire the next generation of fans through the experience we create.

“From the streets around etc, you wouldn't know there's a stadium there so there's a lot to be done, and there's a lot of conversations to be had with the city stakeholders around that,” Bruce added.

“We have to be always thinking about the next generation, we've got an interesting rival up the road doing interesting things and that actually excites me, because there's an opportunity there to do something very different and own something rooted in tradition and authenticity, community. There's a huge opportunity for us with the next generation not just in Sunderland but in the surrounding areas. We've got to work with the city stakeholders on that, there's the Esports Arena coming online but we've got a lot to do to make that fan experience better and more appealing. It's really important that we develop that relationship with our fans. What happens on the pitch is obviously really important but we want the club to rise with the way the city is rising, we're seeing really focused investment on things that are going to move the city forward. If you think about the development of the city, there are so many opportunities to create new traditions and rituals. The new bridge that's being built, that could be our new Wembley Way - that's just one little example. This is what I mean when I talk about the fan journey, creating new and different ways to celebrate and be connected to the football club. That's really exciting for me. “We talk a lot about the fan journey because the support is never switched off. The matchday experience is a massive part of that and one of the amazing things is all the rituals that people have. But a lot of people won't have those yet, because they're new to the club - so how do you start to think about building those? And we want to think about that because we want to attract new people and different people to the stadium.”