BLACK CATS

While the club has had many nicknames, "The Black Cats" was officially adopted in 1997 after a fan vote. It is steeped in local folklore, most notably a 19th-century battery of cannons on the River Wear named the "Black Cat" battery, and a story from the 1937 FA Cup Final where a fan brought a black cat in his pocket for good luck—and Sunderland won. Before the 90s, they were often called The Rokerites (after their old stadium, Roker Park). The shift to "Black Cats" was a move to create a more iconic, "predatory" brand that honored the dark, industrial history of the Wearside shipyards and coal mines.