Summer Madness: the war over, a lifetime of supporting Sunderland began

Fernland - Bartram & Sons

[Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums]

This wonderful slice of nostalgia began life as A T – Alan – Hedley’s comment on the Summer Madness piece about criteria for qualifying as a supporter of this or that football club. It was so evocative of a different age that Salut! Sunderland has no hesitation in elevating it to the status of article.

To give context, the four simple rules of eligibility proposed in the original item were 1) You were born or brought up in Sunderland, Melchester or whatever, or their surrounding areas; 2) They were the team your dad took you to see for your first professional league game; 3) Your family’s roots are in the relevant area even though you were born and/or raised far away, even abroad or 4) You formed a close bond through playing or otherwise working for the club, or in the town or city where it plays. You need to meet only one of the requirements to qualify. Here is Alan’s response (and believe it or not, there is even more to come on the subject) …

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