Fans have been asking us about the club’s new membership scheme - here’s how we understand it will work
Sunderland have launched a new membership scheme for fans ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, which will go on sale at 10am on Tuesday morning.
Further communication is expected from the club ahead of Tuesday's launch but here we've pulled together all the information we have and answered the questions you asked us about the new scheme.
How the scheme works
The scheme is set up into three tiers: one for existing season ticket holders, one for adults without a season ticket and one for children without a season ticket.
The prices and associated benefits of each are as follows:
- Season ticket plus (£20 per season) - Away general admission ticket ballot access, plus content, member offers and access to in-store events, mascot ballot access for ages 6 to 12 and member rewards.
- Black Cats adult (£48 per season) - Home general admission ticket ballot, season-ticket waiting list, content, member offers and access to in-store events, and member rewards
- Black Cats academy (£30 first child, £20 thereafter) - The same benefits as the adult tier, plus mascot ballot access for ages 6 to 12.
The benefits of each tier is also shown in the table below. The club are launching a new app later this summer which will house the additional content and will eventually be a key part of the membership scheme.
Sunderland membership schemeplaceholder image
Sunderland membership scheme | Sunderland AFC
Your FAQ's on the scheme
Q - Will I still be able to forward my season ticket to someone else with a purchase history if I can't make a game?
A - Yes - as we understand it ticket forwarding will not be impacted by the membership scheme. If you are an existing season card holder, none of your current rights or privileges are impacted by the scheme. The decision you have to make is whether it is worth paying £20 for the access to the away ticket ballot and the other privileges that come with the membership scheme. You don't have to get the membership to preserve your current status.
Q - Will I be able to purchase a ticket for a home game if I'm not a member?
A - Yes, but only after they have been offered to members. Given the demand for tickets last season and that season cards have once again sold out for 2026/27, it's fair to assume that most if not all tickets will go in the ballot.
Q - Say I want to take a friend or my family to a game - do we all need to be members or can I purchase multiple tickets from one membership if successful in the ballot?
A - As we understand it, one membership will equal one ticket. So yes, your family would need to all be members as far as we aware. The exact specifics of how the balloting system will work are at this stage not known and are likely to be confirmed closer to the season.
Q - Does the membership scheme allow non season ticket holders to access the away ballot?
A - No as shown in the image above, this is a perk reserved purely for season ticket plus members.
Q - Do I need to get a membership for a place on the season ticket waiting list?
A - Yes, as we understand it Sunderland have now officially closed the waiting list that was in place for the 2026/27 season. A new waiting list begins from 10am on Tuesday and membership offers access to that - Sunderland say your place in that list will be reserved for as long as you remain a member.
Q - I go to away games regularly - does the membership scheme impact my Black Cats Points? And will the allocation for the ballot be altered for Europa League games or smaller Premier League grounds?
A - The Black Cats points scheme will continue to work in the same way. The only change is that 10% of the away allocation will be kept for the ballot. If you have a high number of Black Cats points, you'll still have priority access to the remaining tickets. Of course, the ballot does mean there will be fewer available. On this, the club say: “Black Cat Points is a separate Sunderland AFC scheme and is unaffected by club membership but allows a greater number of fans to accumulate points via the Season Ticket Plus tier.”
As we understand it, the 10% of tickets being held for the ballot will happen regardless of competition or ground.
Q - Do I need a membership to get access to Europa League home games even though I'm a season ticket holder?
A - Sunderland have not yet confirmed their ticketing plans for Europa League games, but there is absolutely no suggestion at this stage that it will be linked to the membership scheme and that one is required. All we know is that if you are not a season card holder, Black Cats Adult will give you access to the ballot for Europa League games.
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