Top-end club sources have confirmed key details of the ongoing upgrade work at Sunderland to The Echo
Significant work has been taking place at Sunderland’s Academy of Light this summer, with behind-the-scenes investment from owners Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori helping to modernise and expand the club’s training facilities following promotion to the Premier League.
Every pitch on site has had the top removed using a Koro Field TopMaker machine. Fresh sand has been spread and each pitch re-seeded to bring them up to elite standard. On the first-team plateau – which includes two full-size pitches and a warm-up area – one of the main pitches has been fully stripped, sanded and seeded. The other will undergo the same process next summer.
A soil mound at the top of the warm-up area has been completely removed, and the full area has been dug out to make space for an additional full-size pitch. This increases capacity and flexibility for senior team sessions. The training pitch equipped with undersoil heating has been dug out entirely and rebuilt from the bottom up. It now replicates the Stadium of Light surface, with the only difference being improved sprinkler heads, as the stadium’s current system is considered less effective.
A new irrigation tank has been installed, removing the need to draw water from the pond behind the site. This upgrade improves reliability and reduces dependency on weather conditions. A new fence is being installed around the first-team plateau, while the pitch used by the Under-18s has also had its rusted fencing removed and replaced. Both the indoor and outdoor 3G pitches have been restored to a high standard. The outdoor pitch has a new fence in place, with work done to bring it back to optimal condition.
Significant work is also understood to have taken place inside the Academy of Light building. In addition, a Mediterranean-style flower bed has been created outside the player entrance to improve the look and feel for players. Improvement work has also been carried out at the Stadium of Light, with upgrades made to both the press room and the players' lounge as the club prepares for its first Premier League campaign in eight years.
Sunderland are also currently relaying the top levels of the pitch at the Stadium of Light, as is customary every off-season. Other general improvements at the stadium are also understood to be under consideration as Louis-Dreyfus and Sartori continue to re-build the club.
Sunderland’s current ownership structure was finalised in May 2023, when Juan Sartori acquired the remaining shares held by Stewart Donald. Sartori, who has been involved with the club since 2018, now co-owns the Black Cats alongside Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
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Louis-Dreyfus holds a 64% majority stake, with Sartori owning the remaining 36%. Under standard pro-rata funding arrangements, financial backing is distributed in line with each shareholder’s ownership percentage, meaning both owners are contributing in proportion to their respective stakes.
Spending at Sunderland has increased significantly since promotion – not just on the pitch, with the £30million signing of midfielder Habib Diarra, the arrival of free agent Reinildo, and more additions expected – but off it too, with major investment across both the Academy of Light and the Stadium of Light infrastructure.
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