Retro Sunderland Shirt – The Black Cats of Wearside

Sunderland Association Football Club was founded in 1879, originally as the Sunderland and District Teachers' Association Football Club before opening its doors to all players. They quickly established themselves as one of the most powerful forces in Victorian and Edwardian football, winning five league titles between 1892 and 1913 – earning the nickname 'The Team of All Talents' for the quality of their play in that era.

The early twentieth century saw Sunderland remain competitive, but it was the 1930s that delivered another title, their sixth and most recent league championship coming in 1936. That same decade, the club broke the British transfer record to sign Raich Carter, who went on to become one of the finest players in Sunderland's history, combining elegance with goalscoring brilliance.

The post-war years were a rollercoaster. Sunderland suffered their first ever relegation in 1958, a seismic shock to a club of their stature, but the greatest moment of the modern era was yet to come. In 1973, as a Second Division club, Sunderland produced one of the most stunning FA Cup upsets in history – defeating the mighty Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley. Ian Porterfield's goal and Jim Montgomery's miraculous double save are etched into football folklore. It remains one of the biggest giant-killing acts in cup history.

The 1980s brought more struggle, with Sunderland dropping as low as the Third Division at one point. But the Bob Murray era and the move to the brand new Stadium of Light in 1997 sparked a renaissance. Peter Reid's Sunderland stormed to the First Division title in 1999 with a record 105 points, and the club spent several seasons in the Premier League, finishing seventh in 1999-2000 – their best top-flight placing in decades.

The 2000s and 2010s were defined by dramatic swings between Premier League and Championship. Roy Keane's managerial tenure brought passion and promotion, while the Steve Bruce era delivered stability. The infamous 'sacking of managers' period that followed contributed to two successive relegations in 2017 and 2018, plunging the club into League One – their lowest point in the professional era. The Netflix documentary 'Sunderland 'Til I Die' captured this dark chapter with raw honesty, paradoxically boosting the club's global profile enormously.

Under Tony Mowbray and then Régis Le Bris, Sunderland have rebuilt with purpose and youth, returning to the Championship and building towards a long-awaited Premier League comeback. The Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle United – a fixture of extraordinary intensity – continues to define seasons and cement the club's place in the hearts of the north-east.

Sunderland have produced and attracted some genuine legends of English football across their 140-plus year history.

Raich Carter is arguably the greatest player ever to wear the red and white stripes. An inside forward of sublime intelligence and technique, he captained Sunderland to the 1936 league title and the 1937 FA Cup – before going on to win the FA Cup again with Derby County after the war. His dual distinction as a title winner at two different clubs from two different eras speaks to his exceptional quality.

Bob Stokoe's 1973 cup-winning side produced its own heroes. Vic Halom, Dave Watson, and the iconic goalkeeper Jim Montgomery, whose double save in the Wembley final has been replayed millions of times, all became immortals in Sunderland folklore. Montgomery remains perhaps the most celebrated goalkeeper in the club's history.

Kevin Phillips emerged in the late 1990s as one of the Premier League's deadliest strikers, winning the European Golden Boot in 1999-2000 with 30 league goals – a feat no English player has matched since. His partnership with Niall Quinn became one of the most celebrated in the division.

Niall Quinn himself deserves special mention – not only as a clinical target man but later as a chairman who helped save the club from crisis, investing his own money and eventually facilitating the sale to the Ellis Short consortium.

Michael Bridges, Darren Bent (who delivered crucial Premier League goals), and the combative Lee Cattermole also left significant marks. More recently, Jordan Pickford developed into a world-class goalkeeper at the Academy of Light before his record sale to Everton in 2017.

Managers Bob Stokoe, Peter Reid, and Roy Keane each defined eras with their intensity and ambition, mirroring the character of the club itself.

The Sunderland retro shirt is one of the most recognisable garments in English football – broad red and white vertical stripes that have barely changed since the late nineteenth century. That consistency is part of their identity, and part of what makes a retro Sunderland shirt so timeless.

The 1970s kits, worn during the famous 1973 FA Cup run, are among the most cherished by collectors. The simple, bold Admiral-era designs of that period – with their thick stripes and minimal branding – have a purity that modern kits can't replicate. The 1973 Wembley shirt is the holy grail.

The 1990s brought a series of visually striking kits as Sunderland climbed back to relevance. The early Premier League era shirts, produced by Avec and later Adidas, featured classic proportions with sponsor logos from companies like Vaux Breweries – instantly recognisable to any Sunderland fan of that era.

The late 1990s and early 2000s Quinn and Phillips shirts are enormously popular. The 1999 promotion season strip and the early Stadium of Light kits in classic red and white carry enormous sentimental value.

Away kits have produced some gems too – yellow and black combinations in the 1980s, and smart navy alternates in the Premier League years.

We carry 275 retro Sunderland shirts spanning multiple decades, offering something meaningful for every generation of Black Cats supporter.