Friendship Trophy

Friendly football match between Norwich City F.C and Sunderland A.F.C

Friendship TrophyLocation| Norwich and Sunderland

|

Teams| Norwich City
Sunderland
First meeting| 24 March 1985
Latest meeting| Norwich City 0-0 Sunderland
2024–25 EFL Championship
(8 April 2025)
Next meeting| Norwich City vs Sunderland (TBA)
Trophy| Current holders: Sunderland
Statistics
Meetings total| 32
Most wins| Norwich City (15)
All-time series| Norwich City: 6
Drawn: 2 (Sunderland retained)
Sunderland: 6 (including 2 solo cup wins)

The Friendship Trophy is a football match, contested on an irregular basis by just two teams: Norwich City and Sunderland.[1] The match dates back to the camaraderie forged between fans of the two clubs at the time of the 1985 Football League Cup Final that they contested. Norwich City won the 1985 Football League Cup Final, however at the end of the First Division Season, both teams were relegated to the Second Division.[2]

> Mackem and Canary mingled and drank happily together. “The Sunderland supporters were magnificent and everyone seemed to mix, it was light-hearted and very nice,” judged Norwich manager Ken Brown after his team had lifted the trophy thanks to a Gordon Chisholm own goal. On the London Underground, Norwich fans sang “we won the cup”, while Sunderland’s retorted with: “we scored the goal”.[3]

Nowadays, the Friendship Trophy is awarded to the team with the winning aggregate score in competitive matches over the season between the two sides.

The trophy was most recently contested in March 2024, when the teams played at Carrow Road in the EFL Championship. Norwich won 1–0 in that match,[4] though Sunderland won 3–2 on aggregate due to their 3–1 victory at the Stadium of Light in October 2023.[5]

This trophy is only infrequently contested, as it requires both Norwich City and Sunderland to be in the same division, or to be drawn together in a cup competition, which last happened in 2009, when Sunderland beat Norwich City 4–1 in the Football League Cup.[6] The most significant cup meeting after the 1985 final was the semi-final of the 1991–92 FA Cup at Hillsborough, which Sunderland won 1–0.[7][8]

## Head to head summary

[edit]

Club  | P  | W  | D  | L  | F  | A  | +/-

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

League
Norwich City  | 29  | 15  | 5  | 9  | 32  | 29  | +3
Sunderland  | 29  | 9  | 5  | 15  | 29  | 32  | –3
FA Cup
Norwich City  | 1  | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0  | 1  | –1
Sunderland  | 1  | 1  | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0  | +1
Football League Cup
Norwich City  | 2  | 1  | 0  | 1  | 2  | 4  | –2
Sunderland  | 2  | 1  | 0  | 1  | 4  | 2  | +2
Totals
Norwich City | 32  | 16  | 5  | 11  | 34  | 34  | +0
Sunderland | 32  | 11  | 5  | 16  | 34  | 34  | +0

## Head-to-head fixtures

[edit]

Date  | Home Team  | Score  | Away Team  | Competition

|
|
|
|

24 March 1985  | Norwich City  | 1–0 | Sunderland  | Football League Cup
26 October 1985  | Sunderland  | 0–2 | Norwich City  | Football League, Second Division
9 April 1986  | Norwich City  | 0–0 | Sunderland  | Football League, Second Division
25 August 1990  | Norwich City  | 3–2 | Sunderland  | Football League, First Division
15 December 1990  | Sunderland  | 1–2 | Norwich City  | Football League, First Division
5 April 1992  | Sunderland  | 1–0 | Norwich City  | FA Cup
19 August 1995  | Norwich City  | 0–0 | Sunderland  | Football League First Division
14 January 1996  | Sunderland  | 0–1 | Norwich City  | Football League First Division
30 August 1997  | Sunderland  | 0–1 | Norwich City  | Football League First Division
28 January 1998  | Norwich City  | 2–1 | Sunderland  | Football League First Division
29 September 1998  | Norwich City  | 2–2 | Sunderland  | Football League First Division
6 March 1999  | Sunderland  | 1–0 | Norwich City  | Football League First Division
25 October 2003  | Norwich City  | 1–0 | Sunderland  | Football League First Division
4 May 2004  | Sunderland  | 1–0 | Norwich City  | Football League First Division
4 November 2006  | Norwich City  | 1–0 | Sunderland  | Football League Championship
2 December 2006  | Sunderland  | 1–0 | Norwich City  | Football League Championship
24 August 2009  | Norwich City  | 1–4 | Sunderland  | Football League Cup
26 September 2011  | Norwich City  | 2–1 | Sunderland  | Premier League
1 February 2012  | Sunderland  | 3–0 | Norwich City  | Premier League
2 December 2012  | Norwich City  | 2–1 | Sunderland  | Premier League
17 March 2013  | Sunderland  | 1–1 | Norwich City  | Premier League
21 December 2013  | Sunderland  | 0–0 | Norwich City  | Premier League
22 March 2014  | Norwich City  | 2–0 | Sunderland  | Premier League
15 August 2015  | Sunderland  | 1–3 | Norwich City  | Premier League
16 April 2016  | Norwich City  | 0–3 | Sunderland  | Premier League
13 August 2017  | Norwich City  | 1–3 | Sunderland  | EFL Championship
10 April 2018  | Sunderland  | 1–1 | Norwich City  | EFL Championship
27 August 2022  | Sunderland  | 0–1 | Norwich City  | EFL Championship
12 March 2023  | Norwich City  | 0–1 | Sunderland  | EFL Championship
28 October 2023  | Sunderland  | 3–1 | Norwich City  | EFL Championship
2 March 2024  | Norwich City  | 1–0 | Sunderland  | EFL Championship
21 December 2024  | Sunderland  | 2–1 | Norwich City  | EFL Championship

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Scott Wilson (24 August 2009). "Sunderland enjoy Carrow Road stroll". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
2. ^ "Football League Division One /1984/85 /all teams /results". Retrieved 6 January 2015.
3. ^ House, Future Publishing Limited Quay; Ambury, The; Engl, Bath BA1 1UA All rights reserved; number 2008885, Wales company registration (15 April 2016). "What the heck is the Friendship Trophy? Football's oddest closed cup competitions". FourFourTwo.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. ^ "Norwich City 1–0 Sunderland: Josh Sargent goal keeps Canaries in play-off race". Retrieved 11 May 2024.
5. ^ "Sunderland 3–1 Norwich City: David Wagner says Canaries 'mentally affected' by form". Retrieved 11 May 2024.
6. ^ "Norwich City v Sunderland, 24 August 2009". Retrieved 6 January 2015.
7. ^ Sunderland and Norwich City is always a TV favourite, Norwich Evening News, 15 March 2013
8. ^ Road To Wembley: Reliving Sunderland’s action-packed run towards the 1992 FA Cup Final, Roker Report, SB Nation, 24 May 2019

* v
* t
* e

Norwich City Football Club

Club|

* History
* Seasons
* current
* Managers
* Europe
* Under-23s
* Norwich City Women

Records|

* Records
* Hall of Fame
* Players of the Season

Players|

* Current squad
* Players
* 100+ appearances
* 25–99 appearances
* 1–24 appearances

Grounds|

* Carrow Road
* The Nest
* Newmarket Road

Other|

* East Anglian derby
* Pride of Anglia
* On the Ball, City
* Friendship Trophy

* v
* t
* e

Sunderland Association Football Club

* Players
* Managers
* History
* Statistics
* Supporters
* Seasons
* Current season

Grounds|

* Stadium of Light
* Roker Park
* Newcastle Road
* Abbs Field
* Horatio Street
* Groves Field
* Blue House Field

Training grounds|

* Academy of Light

Community|

* Foundation of Light
* Beacon of Light

Other teams|

* Sunderland A.F.C. Women
* Reserves and Academy

Rivalries|

* League record by opponent
* Tyne–Wear derby
* Tees–Wear derby
* Friendship Trophy
* Sunderland Albion

Culture|

* A Love Supreme
* Roker Report
* Premier Passions
* Seaburn Casuals
* Sunderland 'Til I Die

* Category:Sunderland A.F.C.
* Portal:Association football
* Commons:Sunderland A.F.C.

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template