Sunderland offer out Wembley tickets v Sheffield United in stunning gesture
Sunderland have their best shot at returning to the Premier League after eight years away this weekend, and have decided to include their academy in the occasion.
The Black Cats face Sheffield United at Wembley for a spot in the top flight, having finished fourth place in the regular Championship campaign.
Times have been tough at the Stadium of Light over the past decade, suffering back-to-back relegations from the first-tier to League One.
Salvation may soon be upon Regis Le Bris’ side, however, and the Black Cats want the entire club involved in what could be a momentous day.
Black Cats provide academy with Wembley opportunity
As per BBC Look North’s Nisha Joshi, Sunderland have offered every academy player a ticket for the game at the weekend.
The youth ranks have been allowed to train at the Stadium of Light recently as a reward for their hard work, alongside being given tickets to the play-off final.
Sunderland hold their academy in extremely high regard, proven by the number of graduates that have featured in the first team this season, including Anthony Patterson, Dan Neil, Chris Rigg, Tommy Watson, Harrison Jones, Zak Johnson and Trey Ogunsuyi.
The Black Cats announced earlier this year that the club’s academy ranked among the top-producing in the entire country in terms of its first-team output.
Sunderland have produced some stars over the years
With their academy Category One, the Wearside outfit possesses one of the nation’s finest youth setups.
They enjoy a wealth of current talent in their current first team, but have also fostered some of England’s finest footballers over the years.
In particular, Sunderland have provided the footballing education for two of the England national team’s recent heroes, Jordan Pickford and Jordan Henderson.
Pickford overtook Peter Shilton to become England’s most-capped goalkeeper in major tournaments at EURO 2024 and has made himself a Three Lions legend thanks to his penalty-saving heroics.
Henderson on the other hand captained Liverpool to their first Premier League title in 30 years during the 2019/20 campaign, whilst also clinching the Champions League a season prior.
These achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the footballing education they received in the Black Cats’ academy, highlighting the importance of a solid youth setup.