The Keel Crossing, a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Wear, is referenced in multiple elements of the newly promoted club’s shirt design
Sunderland AFC has incorporated visual references to the city’s new Keel Crossing into its 2025-26 home kit, linking the Premier League club’s stadium to one of the latest additions to the Wearside landscape.
The bridge, currently under construction, has been designed by Knight Architects with Arup for contractor VolkerStevin and Sunderland City Council. When complete, it will provide a pedestrian and cycle connection between the Stadium of Light and Keel Square in the city centre.
Design details on the shirt include the words “Connecting the City & Stadium” on the inside collar, a vertical paving pattern on the white stripes, a bridge silhouette on the rear of the neck and a paving motif inspired by the Keel Line on the pre-match half-zip top.
The Keel Line is a granite strip running through Keel Square and onto the bridge to commemorate the city’s shipbuilding heritage. Stretching 291.7 metres, the same length as the Naess Crusader, the longest ship ever built on the River Wear, it records the names of 8,102 ships launched in the city since 1786, accompanied by illustrations from local graphic artist Bryan Talbot.
Knight Architects project manager Simon Harker said: “We are bowled over by the way in which Sunderland AFC has adopted the bridge into its new season kit. We design bridges for people. It’s incredibly humbling therefore that the club describes their shirt as a symbol of everything that connects the people of Sunderland.”
The new kit is scheduled to be worn for the first time at Sunderland AFC’s opening home match of the season on 16 August 2025.
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