Away Days - Travel Guide | Sunderland vs. Cardiff City

The Bluebirds visit Sunderland’s Stadium of Light for this Sunday’s Sky Bet Championship clash!

Cardiff City will sell tickets for this fixture until 2pm on Friday, 22nd September, and will be open for any late sale collections until 4pm that day.

There will be no sales on the day and supporters are advised not to travel without tickets. Please note that the Cardiff City Ticket Office will not be open over the weekend.

Tickets not collected by 4pm on Friday, 22nd September, will be sent to Sunderland for collection.

The collections point at Sunderland is from the Ticket Office located within Black Cat House, adjacent to the stadium.

The Stadium of Light is fully cashless, and contactless card payments have been introduced throughout the stadium.

Travel Tips

The car journey from Cardiff City Stadium to the Stadium of Light will take approximately five and half hours, via the M42, M1 and the A1. The sat-nav postcode is SR5 1SU.

Parking at the stadium is extremely limited. Police and local authority parking restrictions, including permit schemes, are in place on more than 60 streets surrounding the stadium and are heavily enforced.

Park and Ride: Fans should use the Park and Ride facility on Wessington Way (A1231). This is easily accessible from the A19 and is clearly signposted.

Buses will pick up from the permanent bus stops on Sunderland Enterprise Park while pick-up points from the stadium are to the north on Kier Hardie Way.

Buses run every five minutes before the game from 90 minutes prior to kick-off and regularly after the game until all fans have been transported back to their cars.

Park and Walk: Car parking is available from two sites at the University of Sunderland – the A183 (Chester Road) and St Peter’s. Both are clearly signposted. Follow signs for matchday parking.

By train: There will be no train services on matchday from Cardiff Central that will reach the Stadium of Light in time for kick-off.

If travelling prior to matchday, Sunderland railway station is in the heart of the city centre and is walkable from the stadium (around 15 minutes).

Exit the station between WH Smith and the bakery, then turn left and walk down High St West. You’ll then turn left again and walk up Fawcett St to the Wear Bridge.

You’ll be able to see the Stadium of Light on the horizon. Cross over the bridge and turn left to Millennium Way. The away end is located straight in front of you, on the side of the stadium.

Away End

With a capacity of 49,000, the Stadium of Light is the largest ground in the Sky Bet Championship this season. Away supporters will be located in the upper tier of the North Stand.

We urge all travelling supporters to carefully read the following safety measures recently introduced by our hosts:

It is Sunderland AFC's policy that coins and vapes will not be permitted in the away section of the North Stand at the Stadium of Light.

Any visiting supporter found carrying these items will be asked to discard of them prior to entering the stadium, at which point they will be subjected to enhanced security procedures to further reduce the risk of objects entering the stadium which can be used as missiles.

All vapes will be sustainably discarded, with any coins confiscated donated to the away Club’s nominated charity.

Our Supporter Liaison Officer, Paul Corkrey, will be in attendance at the stadium on matchday. If you require any assistance, please contact him on 07484 070422. Alternatively, follow @CardiffCitySLO on Twitter for further supporter updates.

If you experience or witness any form of discriminatory or offensive behaviour, please do not hesitate to anonymously text 07484 070422 with the row and seat number of the offender, followed by the nature of the problem.

Pies and Pints

Most pubs and restaurants in Sunderland city centre are away fan friendly. Pubs recommended by the club in the city centre are Greens, Street Bar, Victors, Fire Station & The Peacock.

Pubs nearer to the stadium recommended by the club are the Colliery Tavern and the Hilton Hotel.

Food will be available in the concourse of the away stand. The club offers; Fish & Chips (£5.50), Various Pies (£3.50) including the Chicken Balti Pie, Cornish Pasties (£3) and Jumbo Sausage Rolls (£3).

Tourist Time

If you're making the most of your weekend in Sunderland and spending some extra time in Tyne and Wear, why not check out some of these top tourist attractions?

Roker and Seaburn Beaches – Sunderland's Blue Flag award winning beaches are ideal for traditional family seaside fun.

National Glass Centre – Built on the site of a former shipyard J.L.Thompson and Sons, National Glass Centre aims to celebrate Sunderland's glass making and industrial heritage.

North East Land Sea and Air Museums – The North East Land Sea & Air Museum - NELSAM - sits on the former RAF Usworth and Sunderland airport site.