In this roundup, several of our academy players have signed their first professional deals on Wearside, one of our players is Olympics-bound and ticketing information for the friendlies away to Blackpool and Bradford City have been released.
ACADEMY PLAYERS SIGN PROFESSIONAL DEALS
Following a variety of players from the academy signing scholarship deals, a number have now signed onto professional deals for the first time.
TOM LAVERY
Lavery is 18 years old and plays primarily as a right-back but is also capable of operating in the centre of defence. He has been with the club since an early age. Last season he played a total of 22 games across the U18 and U21 teams and overall he has played 37 games during his time here for those age groups. His deal will run until 2026, with an option of a further year.
Academy Manager, Robin Nicholls had this to say:
“Tom and his family have been with the Academy for several years now and he has shown great progress during this time. Tom’s commitment and development was rewarded last season by being included in the First Team Matchday squad on three occasions early in 2024. We are delighted that he sees his future here with the Club and has signed a contract that ensures the next steps in his career will be with SAFC.”
JENSON JONES
Jones is also an 18-year-old and a right back, however he can also be deployed as a left back. He too has been here since an early age (aged six) and most of his experience comes from featuring for the U18s. Of his 44 total appearances whilst here, 39 come from the U18s and five from the U21s. In 2023/24 he played 20 matches in total. He has signed until 2026, with an option of a further year.
Academy Manager, Robin Nicholls made these comments:
“We are delighted that Jenson has signed his first professional contract with the Club. He is a player who has developed his game significantly in the last few seasons and has impressed staff across the club with his versatility. Able to play on both sides of the pitch, as well as centrally in midfield, we believe that the U21 programme, along with our unique approach to individual development, will allow Jenson to fulfil the potential that we see within him. We look forward to the next few seasons with Jenson.”
LUKE BELL
Bell is another player aged 18 and is also a defender, this time around a centre-back. He has managed 50 games, 36 for the U18s and 14 for the U21s, 29 of which came last season. He, too, has signed a deal until 2026 with an option of another year. He has been with the club since he was eight.
Academy Manager, Robin Nicholls said this:
“Luke has made great progress during his time with the Club, particularly in the past few months where he has played an important role in the U21 team that progressed to the Play-Off Final of PL2. He has captained our U18 team this season and continued to develop himself individually under the tutelage of the PDP staff across all domains. It is great that Luke has signed his first professional contract, and we look forward to challenging him further in the coming seasons.”
DAN CAMERON
Cameron is a 17-year-old goalkeeper who has played 24 times in total for the U18/21s, mostly for the former of those two. During those games he has kept two clean sheets and made 10 appearances during the last campaign. He signs until 2025, with an option of an additional year.
Academy Manager, Robin Nicholls commented this:
“It is great for Dan to have signed his first professional contract with SAFC. Our Academy is well renowned for producing and developing goalkeepers successfully and we hope that Dan can follow in the footsteps of many others in forging a professional career for himself. He has experienced a unique programme already at a young age, with a couple of loan spells in non-league, and we hope that he can push on and develop himself further here at the Club. As with all first professional contracts, the real hard work starts now for Dan.”
CUBA MITCHELL
Mitchell is 18 and plays in a central midfield role, he is eligible to play for both England and Jamaica. We signed him from Birmingham City on a scholarship deal in 2022 and he has gone on to make 25 appearances for the U18s and one appearance for the U21s, scoring once and assisting once. His deal will run until 2025, with the option of a further year.
Academy Manager, Robin Nicholls said:
“Cuba joined the club as a 16-year-old from Birmingham City and has shown the potential that lies within him. It can be difficult for a young person to settle in a new area of the country at such a young age, but Cuba has embraced this challenge. This first professional contract will see him join up with the U21 squad and be faced with a programme that will further develop him as a person and a player. We are delighted to have agreed terms on the deal and look forward to what lies ahead for Cuba.”
It is a very positive sign that we are able to retain our academy talent and, fingers crossed, they can continue to move up the ranks at Sunderland and break into the first team.
SUNDERLAND PLAYER AT OLYMPICS
New Zealand international and Sunderland Women midfielder, Katie Kitching has been selected as part of the 18-woman squad for the Paris Olympics that start later this month. Kitching, who is 25, has so far managed to earn seven caps and score four goals for the Football Ferns. Although born in North Yorkshire, she is eligible to play for the Kiwis because of her mother. Her team will play a friendly fixture against Zambia on the 14th July before playing in the Olympics.
New Zealand’s schedule is as follows:
Canada vs New Zealand
Thursday 25 July (KO 4pm BST)
New Zealand vs Colombia
Sunday 28 July (KO 4pm BST)
New Zealand vs France
Wednesday 31 July (KO 8pm BST)
Let’s hope she can bring a medal back home!
TICKETS FOR BLACKPOOL AND BRADFORD FRIENDLIES
Sunderland have released ticketing information for the friendlies away to Blackpool (3PM KO, 27th July) and Bradford City (7:30PM KO, 30th July). You will not receive a Black Cat Point for either of these games.
ALS will be running coaches to both of these fixtures and these can be purchased using this link, in store, or over the phone using this number 0191 565 4422. We are open Monday-Friday 9-5 and on home match days.
For the Blackpool fixture we have been given an allocation of 5,304 and tickets are priced as follows:
Adults: £20
Seniors 65+: £15
18 and Under: £15.00
Under 14: £10.00
In addition, the Club has received a limited number of tickets in the Heineken Lounge priced at £40 (All tickets). These tickets include:
Pre match open from 12.30pm
View overlooking the pitch behind the goal
2 Drinks Vouchers inclusive in the package (these will be issued on arrival with a wristband)
Large Screen TVs with Sky Sports
Pay as you go hot food available
Heineken Lounge Access Ticket (inclusive of gate entry details)
South Stand Seat Match Ticket (seats located just outside the lounge)
Lounge Access half time and full time
These are the sale phases:
Phase 1 STH: 1pm on Tuesday 9 July ‘til 5pm on Wednesday 10 July
Phase 2 General Sale: 1pm Thursday 11 July
Tickets for this fixture will be paper tickets and will be posted approximately 72 Hours following purchase. The postage fee is £1.50 per transaction.
For the Bradford City fixture we have been given an allocation of 3.815 and tickets are priced as follows:
Adult (24-64): £10
Senior (65+): £8
Young Person (17-23): £8
Youth (12-16): £5
Junior (11-): £2
These are the sale phases:
Phase 1 Season Ticket Holders: 1pm on Tuesday 9 July until 5pm on Wednesday 10 July
Phase 2 General Sale: 1pm Thursday 11 July
Tickets for this fixture are Print at Home/Digital tickets and will be delivered at the point of purchase.
