Rare Football Programmes | Sunderland 1936/37

Sunderland 1936/37

Sunderland’s 1936/37 season is one of the most important in the club’s history, remembered above all for their first FA Cup triumph. Having been crowned Football League champions the previous season, Sunderland entered the campaign as one of the strongest sides in the country, with a team packed with quality and character. While their league form did not quite reach the heights of 1935/36, their cup run ensured the season would become part of Wearside folklore.

For collectors of old football programmes, Sunderland’s 1936/37 issues are especially appealing because they capture the club at a historic peak. League fixtures against the likes of Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday all carry interest, while the FA Cup matches add another layer of importance. Programmes connected to the run to Wembley, including the ties against Luton Town, Swansea Town, Wolves and Millwall, are particularly desirable.

The campaign ended with Sunderland defeating Preston North End 3–1 in the 1937 FA Cup Final, with goals from Bobby Gurney, Raich Carter and Eddie Burbanks. Programmes from this season therefore offer more than a simple match record; they are surviving pieces of a landmark year in Sunderland’s football story.