Sunderland football club fans have stolen a march on their Newcastle counterparts to see their stadium take the top slot on a new Monopoly board.

While the club's chances of topping the Premiership may be slim, the Stadium of Light has won more votes than any other landmark to secure the Mayfair slot in the latest version of the popular board game.

It marks the first time the coveted position - worth £400 - has gone to a football stadium, with the honour normally being reserved for cathedrals.

The coup also puts St James's Park firmly in the shade, as the home of Newcastle United only occupies a £160 plot on the Newcastle and Gateshead Monopoly version.

Sunderland's gleaming new stadium secured the Mayfair slot after coming out top in a telephone and email poll.

The next six most popular choices, headed by Sunderland Minster, are also included on the board, which was officially launched at Silksworth Ski Slope today.

After narrowly beating Durham in a vote for the game's location, the Sunderland Monopoly game is already a massive hit, having attracted the most advance sales for a city version.

Its creator, Mark Marriott, said: "The Newcastle and Gateshead board, featuring Tyneside landmarks and favourites including The Angel of the North and Tyne Bridge, was the very first regional customised game to be produced four years ago.

"Because of its success, we were inundated with calls for Sunderland to have its own game.

"The rivalry may stop now that both great cities have a Monopoly game of their own - but somehow I doubt it."

At the opposite end of the board to the Stadium of Light, occupying the cheapest Old Kent Road slot, is the Washington Arts Centre.

Mr Marriott said that far from taking it as an insult, the centre was delighted with its position.

"The Old Kent Road square attracted as much interest as the Mayfair one," he said.

"It's a very high profile position on the board and after Mayfair, the most sought after, so it's clearly very up-and-coming."

He added: "The board reflects the hearts and minds of Sunderland."

The game is now available from local toy and book stores or online at www.playaday.com.

Monopoly facts

* The game was invented by out-of-work heating engineer Charles B Darrow in Pennsylvania, USA, in 1934.

* It is now played in 26 different languages, including Welsh, and sold in 80 different countries.

* It is estimated that 'Go' has been passed approximately 13,000m times since the game's invention.

* Of the 17 regional games, Newcastle and Gateshead is the best seller, closely followed by Essex, with Yorkshire in third place.

* The North-East's biggest Monopoholic has been named as bus driver Maurice Brewster, 51, of Murton, County Durham, who owns sets from Japan and Turkey, as well as special Star Wars, Pokemon and chocolate editions.