Latest news with #KeelCrossing
Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Times
Kevin Phillips: No one knew me in Sunderland — then I was on dentist's wall
O ver the clatter of steel and the low drum of drills, Kevin Phillips is watching the unique fizz of work men on a tight deadline outside a football ground, one in which he earned his own superhero nickname. The Stadium of Light is a hive of activity just over 48 hours before Premier League football returns to the ground after an eight-year absence. The sense of rebirth is further magnified by the new Keel Crossing, a bridge that will lead from the stadium across the River Wear to the city of Sunderland on its completion next month. It evokes a memory from 28 years ago for Phillips, back to the first time he drove — on his own — to a stadium that was desperately being finished back then, for its first ever match, a friendly with Ajax. He was a spectator for the night, having just signed from Watford, but he was a player for the first league game at the stadium against Manchester City on August 15, 1997.
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Sunderland launch new home kit for Premier League return
Sunderland have launched their 2025-26 home kit which is "inspired by the past and designed for the future".The shirt takes influence from the 1986-88 design and sees the crest return to a central position for the first time since the is also a nod to Wearside as the white stripes feature "a subtle vertical pattern inspired by the designs of the brand-new Keel Crossing bridge".What do you make of it?Choose your verdict here
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sunderland Keel Crossing: FOI reveals the weird and wonderful alternatives
If 14 people had their way, anyone crossing the newest route over the River Wear would be doing so on Bridgey McBridgeface. A public vote resulted in Sunderland's new footbridge being called Keel Crossing but, despite it being nine years since Boaty McBoatface topped a poll of names for the UK's new polar research ship, the play on words still seemed popular. For some, the chance to make a pun or a political point was too good to miss - with Bridge-it Jones, the Please Fix the Potholes Instead Bridge and Régis Le Bridge all being 1,705 submissions - outlandish and sensible alike - where whittled down to a final three by a panel of representatives from community organisations across the city, with the final choice giving a nod to the "city's rich shipbuilding history", Sunderland City Council said. The new £31m footbridge, which is due to open in the summer, links the city's Keel Square with the Sheepfolds and the Stadium of of the name suggestions revealed in response to a Freedom of Information request by the BBC reflect the city's heritage and many took the vote as an opportunity for a bit of fun with five people suggesting Footy McFootbridge and 31 calling for Régis Le Bridge, after Sunderland head coach and former French football manager, Régis le rather plaintive Would Rather Have Crowtree Back Bridge and Please Fix The Potholes Instead Bridge had one vote each. Drama series Bridgerton was also among the names inspired by TV and film, while Wor Bridgit was another strong word play an older reference, and making good use of the local dialect, one person suggested The Bridge over the River, Aye, and another opted for The Bridge over the River, Niall - a nod to former Sunderland striker Niall secretary and Houghton and Sunderland South MP Bridget Phillipson missed out on being immortalised with Bridgey two people took the naming task more literally and suggested calling the 260m (853ft) structure Brian, or Colin. Football was a popular theme, with many people taking inspiration from the crossing's proximity to Sunderland AFC's home at the Stadium of suggested The Bridge of Light and variations on the words Black Cats, Stadium and wanted to name the bridge after six-year-old Bradley Lowery, who died of a rare form of cancer in shipbuilders and shipyards, lightbulb inventor Joseph Swan, the Wear, and the brewer Vaux were also popular topics. 'Sight to behold' But ultimately the chance of calling the crossing Bridgey McBridgeface was slim, given the 86 suggestions that included the word chance of a quirky sense of humour landing the city with a name it might regret was also averted by only letting Sunderland residents vote on a shortlist of Crossing - named after the structural backbone of a ship - was chosen with 55% of the votes, beating Wear Crossing and Beacon Bridge. City council leader Michael Mordey said the bridge was important as it extended the city centre to make areas such as the National Esports Arena, Sheepfolds Housing, and the Stadium of Light more accessible."I think I speak for every fan when I say I can't wait to see the spectacle of the Keel Crossing being transformed into a sea of red and white shirts and scarfs come matchdays," he said."It will be a real sight to behold." Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Name of Sunderland's new footbridge revealed as Keel Crossing
A city's new footbridge has been officially named after thousands took part in a public latest landmark will be called the Keel Crossing, connecting Keel Square with the Sheepfolds and the Stadium of leader Michael Mordey said he was looking forward to the "spectacle" of the structure turning into "a sea of red-and-white shirts" on matchdays."It will be a real sight to behold," he said. The £31m footbridge is due to open in the measures 32ft (10m) wide and spans 853ft (260m), at a height of 98ft (30m) above the said the local authority had received hundreds of name suggestions for the new opened in May, with Wear Crossing and Beacon Bridge the other said Keel Crossing - named after the structural backbone of a ship - honoured the city's shipbuilding history but also its future. The structure is one of several high-profile developments currently under construction as part of the Riverside Sunderland scheme, including Culture House and the new eye said the footbridge was a "central pillar" of the project and would make the Stadium of Light and Sheepfolds more accessible."I think I speak for every fan when I say I can't wait to see the spectacle of the Keel Crossing being transformed into a sea of red-and-white shirts and scarfs come matchdays," he added. Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
