Sunderland to consult fans on Stadium of Light renaming decision | OneFootball

Sunderland fans will have a say in the potential renaming of the Stadium of Light, according to club chairman Stewart Donald.

Talks have been ongoing for several weeks in relation to bringing in a sponsor to lend their name to the ground.

Any decision will only be made after a consultation with supporters to ascertain their feelings on the matter.

“If you keep Stadium of Light in the name, you don’t want a 15-word stadium [name], so it needs balance,” Donald told the Roker Rapport.

“The only thing I have said is to carry on with negotiations and when it comes to the critical stage, check with the fan groups and get the feedback.

“If 95 per cent of fans say, ‘not a chance, we don’t want it, we’re selling our soul,’ and the money’s not fantastic, then you go ‘no, I won’t do it’.

“The other end of the spectrum is if that nobody really minds and the money is good then let’s do it.

“It will probably be somewhere between the two. It is an asset we want to explore and get maximum value from.”

The Black Cats moved into the Stadium of Light in 1997 after leaving their old Roker Park home.