Sunderland will conclude their pre-season preparations against Olympique de Marseille on Saturday, August 3 almost 100-miles away at Bradford City's Valley Parade before the 2024-25 Championship season begins a week later with a trip to Cardiff City.
Sunderland's pre-season schedule is now complete as Régis Le Bris' team will face French giants Marseille to commemorate the 15-year anniversary of the passing of Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus’ father, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who was the Ligue 1 club's majority shareholder from 1996 to 2009.
Ahead of the game, both clubs will come together to celebrate the life Louis-Dreyfus, who re-established Marseille as a major European force by guiding the club to a UEFA Cup final and two Coup de France finals during his tenure.
The fixture will take place at Bradford City's Valley Parade Stadium due to the ongoing investment taking place at the Stadium of Light heading into the new season.
Earlier this year, Sunderland owner Louis-Dreyfus confirmed a multi-million pound investment programme into improving the fan experience at the Stadium of Light would take place this summer ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. The programme included the installation of safe standing in the Roker End and the upper tier of the North Stand where away supporters are housed. A new PA system and floodlighting system have also been slated to be installed while a brand new 'state-of-the-art' playing surface, equipped with undersoil heating, is to be finished following the stadium's summer events.
The developments build on last summer’s investment across the club's hospitality spaces, with extensive upgrades made to Quinn’s Sports Bar, the Montgomery Suite and the Business Lounge, while there are also plans to continue developing the city's 5G network to enable the Stadium of Light to become the first 5G stadium in the UK next year.
It means Sunderland will now play two fixtures at Bradford's Valley Parade with Le Bris' team set to face the League Two side later this month following their return from Spain.
Speaking about the fixture, Louis-Dreyfus said: “My earliest childhood memories are of Olympique Marseille and my love for football was born from my father’s association with the club.
"Like Sunderland, Marseille is a city that lives and breathes football 24/7 and it will be a privilege to bring the two clubs closest to my heart together to celebrate the life of my father.
"It is unfortunate that we can’t play at the Stadium of Light due to our ongoing developments and we appreciate Bradford City’s support in hosting the game, which I’m sure will also act as a strong test for our team ahead of the new season.”
Sunderland's sporting director Kristjaan Speakman added: “Although we are without a home venue until the start of the season due to our ongoing investment at the Stadium of Light, we wanted to play as close to the North East as possible to ensure our fans can support the team in our final pre-season fixture.
"We thank Ryan Sparks and the wider team at BCFC for hosting us and look forward to facing a high calibre of opposition in Olympique Marseille, who will provide the perfect challenge for our team heading into the new campaign, as we celebrate the life of Kyril’s father and the unique connection our two clubs now share.”
Sunderland kicked off their pre-season schedule against South Shields and Gateshead before heading off to Spain for a warm weather training camp where they are due to face Nottingham Forest and Spanish Segunda Division side CD Eldense.
Le Bris' team return to the UK where they will face trips to Blackpool and Bradford before concluding their preparations against the French Ligue 1 side early next month.
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