Mackem News is a Breaking Media Limited publication. We are powered by a dedicated team of journalists who cover AFC Sunderland daily from the North East, from the grounds of the Stadium Light to the Academy of Light training ground, and across the UK.
Our Sunderland Coverage
- Men’s team stadium: Stadium of Light
- Men’s/Women’s/Academy teams training ground: Academy of Light
- Women’s team stadium: Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground (in Hetton-le-Hole)
More about Mackem News
Mackem News was founded in 2024 to offer a one-stop-shop for Sunderland fans to get daily, around-the-clock updates on the giants of English football.
Our aim is to provide daily news, opinion, matchday content and tactical analysis, as well as a focus on Sunderland Women.
Led by lifelong Sunderland supporter and season ticket holder Josh Edwards and an expert team of journalists, Mackem News aims to give fans a unique take on each story, providing informative, well-written and perfectly sourced content all year round, keeping supporters up to date with all the goings on at the Academy of Light and Stadium of Light around the clock.
From the highs of Premier League football to the lows of falling to League One and returning back to the promised land, Sunderland fans have been through it all, and we want to cover every facet of this world-famous club.
Whether on your laptops and tablet devices or scrolling through your smartphones we want to bring you the best content, whether that be transfers, matchday reaction or pundit views, our vision is to give fans the most extensive coverage of Sunderland.
Impartial, authoritative, and credible, we provide top-quality original content, including exclusive stories and insightful analysis. We showcase exclusive content, with former Black Cats player Derek Ferguson providing regular analysis on all things Sunderland. Former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett will provide reaction to all the topical matchday incidents at the Stadium of Light.
Mackem News is part of an independent network of websites focused on providing top-quality digital sport content, sharing news and entertainment with sports fans across the world. Learn more about the company here.
What makes us different in this crowded marketplace?
MOT Leeds News has excellent contacts from the world of football, and aims to set the agenda, offer expert analysis, tell you something you didn’t know, and share the story behind the story.
Our modus operandi is to provide original content that fans want to read about, offer a unique understanding about what is happening at your club, and delve into the issues you are discussing most.
More than anything, we value trust with our readership, bringing a localised element to our storytelling. To demonstrate this, here is our exclusive section to show you our commitment to original content.
Contact us
For general queries contact [email protected] or our head of editorial Danny Wright at [email protected].
You can write to us at: Breaking Media, 1 The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1PL.
Alternatively, follow us on Facebook here Mackem News, on X (formerly Twitter) here @Mackem_News.
The Team
Danny Wright
Danny has been with Breaking Media for almost a decade, rising to become the company’s Head of Editorial. Danny is an expert editor, with a specialist eye on SEO, planning, growth areas, and staff development. Danny graduated from Staffordshire university in 2016, and has previous experience writing for the Birmingham Mail and Macclesfield Town FC. Based in Staffordshire, Danny has been key in getting Mackem News off the ground, providing a one-stop shop for supporters to get all of their Sunderland News. Danny has covered all of the big stories on Mackem News since its launch in 2024, including the appointment and rise of Regis Le Bris, the famous Championship play-off final victory over Sheffield United in 2025, and impressive return to the Premier League.
X: @dannyw_92
LinkedIn: Danny Wright
Mark Smith
Mark is the second-longest serving member of the Breaking Media team, rising through the ranks from writer to deputy editor. Mark is a highly skilled editor, with a particular expertise in headline writing, and finger on the pulse for trending content that fans love to read about. Mark graduated from Leeds Trinity University in 2018, and is based in Wakefield. He has covered Tottenham News since it was launched in, delivering in-depth analysis, and covering in detail the famous Championship play-off final victory over Sheffield United in May 2025.
X: @mark_smith04
LinkedIn: Mark Smith
Daniel Lewis
Daniel joined Breaking Media in 2023, initially as a writer, but was promoted to deputy editor within a matter of months. After graduating from the University of South Wales, Daniel has previous experience working at Sports Mole and Stats Perform, covering major events such as Champions League finals and the World Cup. As well as being a hugely accomplished editor, Daniel is an expert is statistical analysis and trending topics. He has covered deep-dive analysis on Sunderland since the inception of Mackem News, highlighting the biggest topics at the club in that time – including the memorable Championship play-off final victory over Sheffield United in May 2025.
X: @Daniel_Lewis92
LinkedIn: Daniel Lewis
Pete Hanson
Pete moved to Breaking Media in 2023, initially as an assistant editor before being promoted to the Head of Editorial Standards. Pete has over a decade of experience in the industry, having previously worked for the Press Association and Stats Perform, covering all manner of major events live on the ground including the Tokyo Olympics and several Open Championships. He has degrees from both Leicester University and Sheffield Hallam, and is based in Sheffield. Pete’s speciality is in talent development, and strategy planning, as well as looking at new content strands for Mackem News.
X: @BreakitDown89
LinkedIn: Pete Hanson
Aheed Abrar
Aheed has been a senior writer at Breaking Media since 2024, joining the company after gaining his Masters in sports journalism from Sheffield Hallam University. With previous roles at Milkiyat, Youth Ki Awaaz, and FFO Sports publishing, Aheed has already accrued extensive experience in the industry. Based in Sheffield, Aheed is a transfer expert who has covered all the major signings and exits at Sunderland since the creation of Mackem News.
X: @aheedabrar
LinkedIn: Aheed Abrar
Josh Edwards
Josh is a massive Sunderland supporter from Durham and has history of writing (and podcasting!) about the Black Cats prior to earning a Sports Journalism degree in 2024. He’s contributed to work for the Sunderland Echo, ALS Fanzine and several other outlets throughout the highs and lows on Wearside. From the depths of League One to the highs of the Premier League, he has experienced it all, while remaining a season ticket holder throughout. Josh joined Breaking Media in October 2024, and specialises in transfer news and exclusive content.
X: @Eddsyy
LinkedIn: Josh Edwards
Declan Carr
Declan joined the Breaking Media team as a writer in November 2024, after graduating from Liverpool John Moores University with a Masters degree. Based in Liverpool, he has gained experience working at Sports Mole and Vavel, and is now an expert in breaking news and long-form opinion content. Declan has played a prominent role in exploring the viewpoints of Sunderland supporters in relation to their Premier League performances and the decisions made by majority stakeholder Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
X: @Declancarr96
LinkedIn: Declan Carr
Jacob Raw
Jacob was appointed as a writer at Breaking Media in September 2025 after graduating from Teesside University. He built up his portfolio of work with the likes of the Northern Echo and Durham Cricket Club. Based in the north east, Jacob has a penchant for long-form opinion, and deep-dive content, helping to provide expert analysis of all the goings on at the Stadium of Light.
X: @JacobRaw_MFC
LinkedIn: Jacob Raw
James Barker
James joined the Breaking Media writing team in December 2025, having graduated from the University of Sunderland 18 months prior, and gaining experience working at Football League World – where he had editing responsibility. Based in Durham, James specialises in writing long-form opinion and statistical pieces on Sunderland, diving deep into what supporters want to read about.
X: @james_bjourno
LinkedIn: James Barker
Max Wilkins
Max is a senior writer at Breaking Media after joining the company in the summer of 2024. He graduated from the University of Derby, and would go on to accrue experience in the industry at GRV Media and Vavel. Max works closely with former Premier League scout Bryan King, and is an expert in gaining exclusive content, as well as deep-dive statistical analysis. He has been influential in the company’s coverage of Sunderland’s highs and lows since joining the company, including coverage of the Championship play-off final triumph in the 2024-25 season.
X: @MaxWiIkins
LinkedIn: Max Wilkins
Samuel Fabre
Samuel was hired to the writing team at Breaking Media in August 2025, having graduated Bournemouth University earlier that summer. During his studies, Samuel gained work experience with Get Football Group and Trill Magazine. Based in Oxford, Sam has covered Sunderland extensively since joining the company, with a laser focus on preview and matchday build-up content.
X: @SamuelRSFabre
LinkedIn: Samuel Fabre
Richie Mills
Richie joined the Breaking Media team in January 2026, after building up an extensive catalogue in the journalism industry with likes of Goal and Wardle Whittell Agency. Based in London, Richie gained his sports journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon before starting his career in news and moving across to sports journalism. Richie is an expert in fan-engagement content, and also provides deep-dive features on Mackem News.
X: @RichieMills2
LinkedIn: Richie Mills
Scott Mason
Scott was hired as a football writer by Breaking Media in January 2026, after previously working at GamingINTEL and GRV Media. Based in Dublin, Scott gained his degree in sports journalism from the University of Wolverhampton in 2022. Scott provides expert news coverage of all the goings on at the Stadium of Light, as well as longer-form opinion content.
X: @ScottMason00
LinkedIn: Scott Mason
Cameron Smith
Cameron joined the Breaking Media writing team in February 2026. He graduated from Birmingham City University in the summer of 2025, and has built up industry experience with Football League World, Bulinews.com and Vavel, as well as having work published by the Express&Star. Based in Staffordshire, Cameron is an expert on statistical analysis and data deep dives, providing extensive coverage of Sunderland’s style of play.
X: @_Camjsmith
LinkedIn: Cameron Smith
Daniel Davis
Daniel is an experienced sports journalist and journalism lecturer. He graduated from Bournemouth University in 2019 and spent six years working on the Daily Mail’s sports desk. He has also previously held roles with Reach PLC, GRV Media and GiveMeSport. He joined Breaking Media in March 2026 as a sports writer, working across the company’s club websites. Dan plays a prominent role in covering Sunderland’s youth prospects, as well as doing in-depth stats analysis of all the goings-on at the Stadium of Light.
X: @dan_davis20
LinkedIn: Daniel Davis
The Experts
Keith Hackett
Former FIFA and Premier League referee Keith Hackett has covered Mackem News since its inception in 2024, delivering his exceptional insight into the unique world of refereeing. Never one to sit on the fence, he offers expert analysis into the officials’ performances, as well as the behaviour of players and managers. Ever wanted to know what Jose Mourinho’s really like on the touchline? Hackett’s your man.
X: @HACKETTREF
LinkedIn: Keith Hackett