Friendship Trophy

{{short description|Friendly football match between Norwich City F.C and Sunderland A.F.C}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{infobox football derby

| name = Friendship Trophy

| other names =

| image =

| caption =

| city or region = Norwich and Sunderland

| first contested = 24 March 1985

| teams involved = Norwich City
Sunderland

| most wins = Norwich City (15)

| most player appearances =

| mostrecent = Norwich City 0-0 Sunderland
2024–25 EFL Championship
(8 April 2025)

| nextmeeting = Norwich City vs Sunderland (TBA)

| trophy = Current holders: Sunderland

| league =

| total = 32

| series = Norwich City: 6
Drawn: 2 (Sunderland retained)
Sunderland: 6 (including 2 solo cup wins)

| regularseason =

| postseason =

| largestvictory =

}}

The Friendship Trophy is a football match, contested on an irregular basis by just two teams: Norwich City and Sunderland.{{cite web|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/football/sunderland/reports/4562801.Norwich_City_1_Sunderland_4/|title=Sunderland enjoy Carrow Road stroll|author=Scott Wilson|date=24 August 2009|publisher=The Northern Echo|accessdate=10 February 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120919103920/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/football/sunderland/reports/4562801.Norwich_City_1_Sunderland_4/|archivedate=19 September 2012}} 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.{{cite web|url= http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/match/index.html?event=3;season=1984%2F85|title=Football League Division One /1984/85 /all teams /results|accessdate= 6 January 2015}}

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”.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/what-heck-friendship-trophy-footballs-oddest-closed-cup-competitions|title=What the heck is the Friendship Trophy? Football's oddest closed cup competitions|first1=Future Publishing Limited Quay|last1=House|first2=The|last2=Ambury|first3=Bath BA1 1UA All rights reserved|last3=Engl|first4=Wales company registration|last4=number 2008885|date=April 15, 2016|website=FourFourTwo}}

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,{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68389109|title=Norwich City 1–0 Sunderland: Josh Sargent goal keeps Canaries in play-off race|accessdate= 11 May 2024}} though Sunderland won 3–2 on aggregate due to their 3–1 victory at the Stadium of Light in October 2023.{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/67178994|title=Sunderland 3–1 Norwich City: David Wagner says Canaries 'mentally affected' by form|accessdate= 11 May 2024}}

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.{{cite web|url= http://www.11v11.com/matches/norwich-city-v-sunderland-24-august-2009-285443/|title=Norwich City v Sunderland, 24 August 2009|accessdate= 6 January 2015}} 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.[https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/views/sunderland-and-norwich-city-is-always-a-tv-favourite-1-1980687 Sunderland and Norwich City is always a TV favourite], Norwich Evening News, 15 March 2013[https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/2019/5/24/18632652/road-to-wembley-reliving-sunderlands-action-packed-run-towards-the-1992-fa-cup-final Road To Wembley: Reliving Sunderland’s action-packed run towards the 1992 FA Cup Final], Roker Report, SB Nation, 24 May 2019

In 2013, Talksport named The Friendship Trophy one of football's most pointless awards.{{cite web|url= http://talksport.com/football/footballs-most-pointless-awards-swedens-player-year-friendship-trophy-and-other-useless|title=Football's most pointless awards|website=TalkSport|date=12 November 2013|accessdate= 6 January 2015}}