CLUB officials believe Sunderland football fans will be purring when the new Premiership season kicks off next Saturday.

The club hopes supporters will be impressed at what they see both on and off the field at the Stadium of Light after a £1m refurbishment of the stadium's Carling North Stand.

Next Saturday's visit of Ipswich Town will be the first chance for fans to use the new facilities, the centrepiece being the Black Cats Bar, in the Upper North Stand.

Situated on the second floor, the bar features a glazed wall running the full length of the stand, which will offer supporters panoramic views over the pitch on one side, and across the River Wear on the other.

Bearing the club's recently-adopted official nickname, it offers extra creature comforts to members, who will each have to pay £749 for the privilege.

These include a glass-fronted private entrance, an array of 42 TV screens in the bar area and padded seats in the first five rows of the stand.

Sunderland AFC deputy chairman John Fickling said the development resulted from fans' feedback.

"We pride ourselves on listening to the views of our supporters and this shows we have acted on them," he said.

"Supporters told us they wanted facilities before and after the match offering that little bit more than what is available on the concourse, and that is exactly what this provides, but without the formalities of corporate areas."

Other improvements in the North Stand include the opening of Level One, the largest concourse in the stand, and new kiosks and bars, while walls and staircases have been repainted.

Work on the stand has resulted in 98 seats being relocated to the rear of the East Stand, leaving the stadium capacity for the forthcoming season at 48,353