Sunderland's promotion to the Championship signals the end of the club's four-year stay in League One - and the Black Cats will find life in the second tier very different to that they are leaving behind. The back-to-back relegations that saw Sunderland slide from the rarefied atmosphere of the Premier League to the more prosaic surroundings of League One in double-quick time came as something of a culture shock.
Finances took a colossal hit as the club's income plunged off a cliff, while the wage bill remained at stratospheric (for League One) levels. And things that the club and its supporters had taken for granted, such as guaranteed international breaks, were stripped away.
The play-off win at Wembley at the weekend has marked a turning point and a first step back on the league ladder, with Alex Neil and his side preparing for Championship football when the new campaign kicks-off at the end of July. The return to the Championship will not restore all of the privileges that Sunderland enjoyed in the top flight, with TV income still at a much reduced level, but there will still be some significant changes next season.
READ MORE: Every Sunderland player rated in Black Cats' end-of-season report card 2021-22
Here are a few of the differences Sunderland - and the club's supporters - will discover next term.
Farewell to the EFL Trophy - sort of
Been there, done it, won it. Twice in the last four years Sunderland have been to Wembley for the final of the EFL Trophy, and in 2021 they brought the silverware back to Wearside.
But for the last four seasons, it has been a first-team competition for the Black Cats as is the case for all sides in Leagues One and Two. Promotion to the Championship means Sunderland are no longer compelled to take part in the Trophy, which is primarily a competition for clubs in Leagues One and Two.
They could still enter the Trophy next season, however, but only if they are invited as a club with a Category 1 academy, in which case they would field an U21 side. Sunderland have twice previously entered academy sides in the Trophy, and were knocked out in the second round by Wolves U21s following a penalty shootout in 2016-17, and in the group stages in 2017-18.
No more early entry into the FA Cup
Promotion to the Championship means Sunderland will enter the FA Cup at the third round stage next season. That's a stage the club failed to reach during its four seasons in League One, falling three times at the first hurdle and once in the second round.
The last two seasons have seen the Black Cats suffer the embarrassment of being dumped out at the first round stage by League Two Mansfield Town at the Stadium of Light, and the season before that they lost at Gillingham following a replay. Back in 2018 they made it past Port Vale in the first round, but were then knocked out by Walsall on Wearside following a replay.
In fact, Sunderland have never reached the third round from the third tier, having also been knocked out at the second round stage in their only previous season at this level back in 1987-88. Next season is the 50th anniversary of Sunderland's famous 1973 FA Cup triumph, and at least they are guaranteed to reach the third round as a bare minimum.
TV payments increase
Sunderland’s TV income will rise significantly now they are back in the Championship. In League One, the Black Cats' share of the TV cash plus a solidarity payment from the Premier League totalled around £1.5m per year.
But in the Championship they will receive just short of £7m, with further payments of between £10,000 and £100,000 each time they are featured live on TV - with the difference in those two figures dependent on whether they are the home side or away side, and in which day/timeslot the game is broadcast.
International breaks back on the calendar
International breaks are not a given in League One, but in the Championship they are guaranteed. For the last four seasons, Sunderland have had league fixtures scheduled during international breaks and were only allowed to request a postponement once they had three players called up at either senior or U21 levels.
That will not be an issue next term, as the Championship fixture schedule takes account of the international calendar and includes blank weekends as a matter of course.
Midseason break
This season the Championship will also include a mid-season break to accommodate the winter World Cup in Qatar - a pause that will not extend to League One. Following the Championship fixtures on Saturday, November 12, there will be three blank weekends before the league resumes on Saturday, December 10.
That break will cover the period where players are called up for World Cup duty until the end of the group stage.
Squad revamp
Sunderland's promotion-winning squad contains the nucleus of the side that will compete in the Championship, but it will need to be upgraded and reinforced in numerous areas in order to cope with the step up. For starters, the loan stays of Everton striker Nathan Broadhead, Spurs winger Jack Clarke, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Thorben Hoffmann, Union Berlin winger Leon Dajaku, and Manchester City defender Callum Doyle, all come to an end this summer.
It is possible that Sunderland will seek to bring some of those players back next term, with Broadhead, Clarke, and Doyle all impressing, while there are options in the contracts of Hoffmann and Dajaku to convert their moves into permanent deals should the club decide to do so. There are also a number of players out of contract, with decisions expected to be made this week over whether to offer Aiden McGeady, Bailey Wright, Lynden Gooch, Patrick Roberts, Arbenit Xhemajli, Jordan Willis, and Lee Burge, new deals.
But Sunderland will also need to invest in bringing new blood to Wearside, with the club having struggled due to a lack of options at full-back and centre-forward at times. They may also need to bring in at least one more goalkeeper as competition and cover for academy graduate Anthony Patterson, who established himself as first choice in the second half of the season.
Sunderland will also finally get Will Grigg off their books when his contract expires this summer, with the striker having proved an expensive mistake.
Different expectations
For the last four years, Sunderland have been competing at the top end of League One. The Black Cats have been seen as the big fish in a small pond, and fans have expected them to win most weeks - even if that has not always happened.
Life will be much tougher in the Championship. Of course, Sunderland want to earn promotion back to the Premier League as rapidly as possible but it is highly unlikely they will be promotion challengers - or even serious play-off contenders - in their first season back in the second tier, where they will be competing against the likes of Norwich City, Watford, and Burnley who will be benefiting from parachute payments.
There will have have to be an acceptance that there will be more defeats next season, and the first hurdle to clear is to ensure the club stays well clear of the relegation battle.
For the latest Sunderland news direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
