SUNDERLAND’S footballing history will be brought to life on the stage next year, with Sunderland Empire playing host to ‘The Sunderland Story’.

Having achieved considerable success with similar plays celebrating the history of Celtic and Liverpool, Alterean Media are hoping to take Sunderland fans on a journey down memory lane, with next year’s production tying in with the 50th anniversary of the club’s unforgettable FA Cup final victory over Leeds United.

‘The Sunderland Story’ will follow the Carter family, avid Sunderland fans who reminisce about tales of days gone by, family and friends, shipbuilding, mines, the newly-emerging city of Sunderland and the bonds and memories that football creates.

The play will run from Wednesday, May 17 to Saturday, May 27, with auditions for a number of parts set to be held early next year.

Speaking at yesterday’s launch at the Sunderland Empire, the play’s writer, Nicky Allt, said: “It’s taken a long time to devise this show. Sunderland was right up there at the very beginning as one of the clubs we wanted to write about.

“I’ve met a number of Sunderland fans over the years, and the fanaticism and passion they have for their club has always stayed with me. I’ve always felt their lives are wrapped up in the football club, so to tell it from a people’s perspective is how we want to do this.

“We want to tell the story of the people who have grown the football club, and grown up with the football club for generations. We’ve done this with Celtic and Liverpool, but we’ve waited for our moment with Sunderland. After the play-offs, all we could see was an upward trajectory with the club, and with the 50th anniversary of the FA Cup win coming up, we just felt it was the right moment.”

Sunderland’s owners and directors are fully behind the production, with current head coach, Tony Mowbray, also feeling it is a great opportunity to celebrate the bond between the club and its supporters.

Mowbray said: “I think everyone knows what I think about football, and the history of football clubs. It’s only recently that I’ve really learned about Don Revie’s history with this football club, I found that fascinating. Then I’ve been reading up again on Brian Clough and all that he did with Sunderland.

“Football is wrapped up in people’s lives around here. I see myself as a working-class lad from the North-East, and from the age of six, I’d go to every game. Football was always a massive part of my life, and I think that’s true of so many people with a similar kind of background.”

* Tickets for ‘The Sunderland Story’ will go on sale at 12pm on Wednesday, December 14, with prices starting at £13.