Sunderland will fully reopen the Premier Concourse next season amidst rising attendances at the Stadium of Light following the club's return to the Championship. In the wake of relegation from the Premier League, and with the club enduring a disastrous campaign in the Championship that would ultimately also end in relegation, Sunderland experienced a dramatic drop in attendances and in March 2018, in the last weeks of Ellis Short's ownership, it announced that the top tier of the West Stand would close for the 2018-19 season.
Its closure involved the relocation of around 1,500 season ticket holders to the lower bowl, with the club saying it would improve the atmosphere by bringing fans closer together, while saving money on stewarding and staffing. Since then, the Premier Concourse has only been used when necessary to accommodate supporters buying individual match tickets for games attracting high attendances, and that has become an increasingly regular occurrence.
With Sunderland winning promotion back to the Championship last season, average attendances have jumped 38,017 this term with five fixtures attracting gates in excess of 40,000. That has prompted the club to open the Premier Concourse for the entirety of next season and allow the purchase of season tickets in that area of the ground once again.
