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The Sunderland v Newcastle derby match is seven weeks on Sunday, a 2pm kick-off on Sunday 14 December 2025.

Tomorrow (25 October 2025) marks exactly ten years since the last Wear-Tyne derby in the Premier League.

January 2024 did of course see an FA Cup match down there, Sunderland v Newcastle, with an easy 3-0 victory for United.

That derby match was notable for a number of reasons, not least that it became a ‘bubble match’ for all Newcastle United fans. Having to travel on organised transport, rather than able to choose how to travel to Wearside.

I assumed that after they did the ‘bubble’ thing last time for that FA Cup match, that it would be automatically enforced for all future ones, whether the fans liked it or now.

However, apparently not.

Thankfully, there are no plans for the Sunderland v Newcastle match on Sunday 14 December, to make it a ‘bubble match’ for United fans travelling.

The minutes of the latest Supporter Collective Meeting (where Sunderland fans meet senior club officials) has revealed this to be the case. With the minutes stating:

‘The upcoming fixture versus Newcastle United was discussed. Confirmed there are...