Black Cats announce stadium make-over

The stand, that seats 6,000 people, has been given an overhaul at a cost of nearly £1million, meaning a refreshing new range of facilities.

The most notable change has been the new Black Cats Bar on the second level of the concourse.

This bar has been undergoing intense work to ensure that it is ready for the big Premiership kick-off on August 18 when Ipswich Town visit Wearside. It is a members only lounge and numbers are restricted to 750.

To be one of those select few, season tickets come priced £749 - £300 on top of the regular 38 game pass.

But Sunderland chiefs believe it is a worthy investment and chief executive John Fickling revealed it is meeting the demands of the club's supporters.

"After plenty of meetings with the public we realised that this is what a lot of them wanted," said Mr Fickling. The bar will be open from noon on match days and it is for all of the regular fans.

"It will be modernly designed and we have aimed to create it like a city centre pub. It may cost a little extra but it will allow those fans to have nice surroundings before the match.

"And I'm sure they will want to pay that little extra for those creature comforts."

The bar, which will have a five and a half metre Black Cat badge on the wall outside, has no dress code and allows the members to enjoy more appetising pre-match snacks. The highlight of the bar is that there is glazing all the way along the stand to enable the supporters to have a view of the ground filling up and the entertainment.

All members will receive a car parking space at St Peter's Campus, a match day programme, happy hour drinks prices, a Legion of Light magazine and a limited edition Sunderland baseball cap.

The first level has also been improved to make the stand more attractive.

"That floor will have five regular bars and four or five toilet blocks to make life a lot easier for everyone," said Mr Fickling.

Read more about Sunderland here.