Spark Sport
Football isn’t only a game between 22 players on a pitch – it’s also about the game of international power on this planet. Not to mention the love of a Sunderland-born author for his home club and city. Spark’s Ciaran Myers discovered this when he met Guardian journalist Jonathan Wilson. It’s perhaps not often that […]
MATCH REPORT Hyde United 1-3 Hebburn Town A late brace from loanee Kian Forman secured all three points for an on-form Hebburn Town, which added to Campbell Darcy’s equaliser after the Hornets conceded early to a Taylor McMahon goal. Manager Daniel Moore made one change going into the match, with Olly Martin coming into the […]
When is a local football club more than a local football club? When it’s a lifeline – and life support – for the children and young people who live around it. Ciaran Myers discovers one such club on Tyneside. Newcastle Benfield is a Northern League football club in the heart of Walkergate, Newcastle – […]
If variety is the spice of life, that’s certainly the case for the rising young stars at the region’s two top-ranking football teams. Ciaran Myers reports. The North-East’s two Premier League clubs, Newcastle and Sunderland, have had their Under-21 squads competing on multiple fronts this season, with fixtures ranging from National League senior sides […]
FIFA has given Sunderland an early Christmas present – by leaving their squad intact for the crucial Wear-Tyne derby on December 14. But the club still faces a challenging new year. It’s all down to the Black Cats’ contingent of African stars, seven of whom are due to play in the African Cup of Nations […]
Christmas is coming and the Premier League transfer rumour mill is starting to churn out its first festive ‘forecasts’ – with Sunderland high on the list. Andrew Beharie gives us a financial reality check. The January transfer rumours are already flying like Christmas crackers, with the Black Cats heavily mentioned in dispatches. Sunderland do have […]
Matei Trache, a sports and exercise student at the University of Sunderland, placed 5th at the Natural Strongman Champion of Champions on November 2nd. Trache, 22, travelled to Birmingham to compete amongst the strongest natural men in the country. The event focuses on clean sport, requiring athletes to get tested for performance enhancing drugs, […]
Newcastle United chief executive David Hopkinson has confirmed that progress is being made towards more transparency over the sale of tickets. The club’s Supporters Trust has released a statement confirming that they are working with the Magpies to find a solution. It comes after the Tyneside outfit cancelled 103 season tickets before the 2-1 defeat […]
Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor is on the horns of a 2026 World Cup dilemma – who to play for? Speaking to French football news outlet L’Équipe, he said: “I’d like to set myself the goal of going to the World Cup; it’s obviously a dream. “I have two options: France and Haiti. Haiti have already […]
Frustration among football fans is nothing new – but the Premier League’s financial sustainability rules have driven it to new heights on Tyneside. Ben Briggs explores why and whether financial freedom might be on the horizon. Last Tuesday marked four years since the the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia spent £300million to acquire […]
