Sunderland have confirmed that away fans will remain in the North Stand Upper section of the Stadium of Light following an 'extensive' review process to explore other options. Away supporters were moved from the South Stand to the current location for the start of the 2012-13 season, with the club at the time claiming it would improve the atmosphere within the ground, while it also had the secondary effect of avoiding photos taken of that end of the ground featuring a large number of empty seats when visiting teams with a small travelling support played on Wearside.
But, while the move has allowed the South Stand - now dubbed the Roker End - to be populated by the most vocal contingent of home fans, the fact that away supporters are now so far away from the pitch is widely regarded to have detracted from the matchday atmosphere. In addition, there have been a number of incidents where away fans in the upper tier have thrown objects onto home supporters below, including in October when Burnley offered their 'sincere apologies' when a vape thrown from the away end struck a child, causing minor injuries.
That led to the club stepping up security measures in the short-term while also looking at alternative locations within the ground where away fans could be housed, but a decision has now been taken not to change the current configuration. The club has also considered installing netting to reduce the chances of objects being thrown from the away end, but has decided that it would not prevent items such as coins getting through and has therefore opted not to go ahead with that proposal.
