Abbs Field was a football ground located in the Fulwell area of

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

. It was the home of

Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1879, the club has won si ...

between 1884 and 1886, the fifth ground to host the club. Sunderland played their first game at Abbs Field on 27 September 1884, winning a friendly 2 - 1 against Birtley. Abbs Field was the first ground in which spectators were charged an entrance fee to watch games and also the home of Sunderland when they changed their team colours to Red & White stripes. On 14 March 1885, approximately 1,500 paying spectators watched holders Sunderland defeat Birtley 1 - 0 at Abbs Field in the Semi-Final of the

Durham Challenge Cup The Durham County Challenge Cup (commonly known as the Durham Challenge Cup) is an annual association football, football competition held between the clubs of the Durham County Football Association which was first played in 1884. It is the seni ...

. Sunderland were beaten by

Darlington F.C. Darlington Football Club is an association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, England. As of the 2024-25 season, the team competes in the National League North, at the sixth level of English football. The club was founded in 188 ...

in the final. Sunderland had a good record at Abbs Field, including a comprehensive 23 - 0 victory over Castletown on 20 December 1884. Sunderland lost only three games at Abbs Field, each time to touring sides from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

- the biggest defeat came at the hands of Port Glasgow Athletic; a heavy 11 - 1 defeat on 3 January 1885. The final game at Abbs Field came in March 1886; a 6 - 0 victory over Middlesbrough St. Johns. Sunderland left Abbs Field to move to

Newcastle Road Newcastle Road was a association football, football ground in the Monkwearmouth area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Sunderland, England, and was the home ground of Sunderland A.F.C for twelve years, between 1886 and 1898. It was the List of Sund ...

in 1886 after the landlord increased rent by 500%.

References

Defunct football venues in England Home Grounds of Sunderland A.F.C. Sports venues in Tyne and Wear Sport in the City of Sunderland {{England-sports-venue-stub