As Tony Mowbray and Sunderland put in the hard yards in the off-season ahead of the next Championship campaign, fans will be planning when they can get their first look at the Black Cats ahead of the next campaign.
The pre-season period often brings about summer training camps, friendlies with sides in higher and lower leagues as well as the all-important new transfer arrivals.
Supporters will be hoping that this time next year the club will be preparing for a return to the Premier League.
As we wait for the new season to continue, the Sunderland Echo journies back to 2008 when the club were getting ready for a second year back in the top flight after surviving with a 15th place finish the year previous.
In one of the pre-season games, Sunderland faced Sporting Lisbon in the Albufeira Cup. The side won 3-1 thank to goals from Nyron Nosworthy, Anthony Stokes and Roy O’Donovan, and this is what that team are up to now.