New Sunderland AFC chief leads Independence Day celebrations

Sunderland AFC's newly appointed Chief Business Officer was bestowed the honour of raising the American flag at the city's annual Independence Day celebrations last week [4^th July].

Taking place at Washington Old Hall, the ancestral home of George Washington, the city's annual July 4^th celebration is a spectacle attended by dozens of young people and dignitaries from across the city.

Over recent years, numerous business leaders and special guests with links to the city and the USA have had the privilege of raising the flag as part of the event, with Sunderland AFC's David Bruce the latest to be bestowed the honour.

Sunderland-born Bruce, whose son Bobby is also an American citizen and joined him for the raising of the flag, joined the football club in July 2023 as Chief Brand and Commercial Officer before being promoted to the newly created role of Chief Business Officer on 9 May, 2024.

Prior to this, he spent 11 years helping to grow the sport in the USA through his work with Major League Soccer, where he undertook the roles of Senior Vice President of Brand & Integrated Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer.

Speaking after the event, he said: "As someone who was born and bred in the city, it was a huge honour to attend the event on behalf of Sunderland AFC and to raise the flag alongside my son, Bobby.

"I've spent the best part of 18 years living in the United States, I met my wife and raised my son in the US before coming back home. For me it is important that Bobby is aware of Sunderland's special relationship with Washington DC, given his citizenship, but today really drove home just how much it means to people on both sides of the Atlantic.

"I can't thank the Deputy Mayor and the National Trust enough for inviting us to be part of the celebrations and also the youngsters from local schools who put on such fantastic performances. It's been a day that I'm sure will long in the memory for both of us."

Local school children provided entertainment by performing a series of American-inspired acts including the singing of The Star-Spangled Banner, readings of "The Dream" by Martin Luther King and a rendition of Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Washington Academy pupil Dylan Hill also had the pleasure of donning the famous Washington Grey's uniform of George Washington's bodyguards and presented Bruce with the flag.

Mrs V Carter, headteacher at Washington Academy, said: "We were delighted again to take part in this very important annual tradition in Washington in acknowledging Independence Day. We are so proud of all of the students and staff who made this day happen and made excellent contributions. We look forward to next years event."

This year's celebration also coincided with the 60th anniversary of 'Washington New Town'. To mark the occasion, pupils from John F Kennedy Primary School, Broadway Junior School and George Washington Primary School gave presentations on the event and had the chance to meet the Deputy Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Ehthesham Haque.

Eric Wilton, General Manager for the National Trust said "The National Trust is delighted to be able to host the 4th July celebrations at Washington Old Hall, the ancestral home of George Washington. It was a great day to celebrate this unique connection we have with America. It was a great turnout and a joy to speak with the visitors that were on holiday from the USA who were overjoyed to be able to celebrate their day of independence in the UK.

"A big thank you to the teams from Sunderland City Council and National Trust for organising the event and the participants that contributed to making in such a wonderful celebration."

Cllr Haque said: "It gave me great pleasure to represent Sunderland City Council at the American Independence celebrations, and to extend a warm welcome to everyone who was able to join us.

"I'd like to thank all the young people for their fantastic contributions and to David Bruce and his son, who joined us for the event for the first time.

"Our city's unique friendship agreement with Washington DC is one in which we are very proud of, marking the unique historical connection we share through the Washington family, and events like this are a great way of celebrating our rich history and keeping the tradition alive. It was fantastic to be involved."