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Sunderland Association Football Club, an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, was founded in 1879. They joined The Football League in the 1890–91 season replacing Stoke who had failed to be re-elected, making Sunderland the first new club to join the league since its inauguration in 1888. Sunderland remained in the football league for 106 years, albeit in different divisions, until 1996 when they were promoted to the Premier League, which replaced the Football League's First Division at the top of the English football league system in 1992. Since then the club has been relegated back into The Football League on three occasions although it has regained promotion back into the Premiership each time after one or two seasons in the second league. They have remained in the Premier League since the 2007–08 season.
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Sunderland's first team, nicknamed the Black Cats, have competed in a number of nationally contested leagues, and their record against each club faced in those competitions is summarised below. Sunderland's first league game was against Burnley in the 1890–91 Football League season. They met their 87th and most recent different league opponent, Colchester United, for the first time in the 2006–07 Football League Championship season. The team that Sunderland have played most in league competition is Aston Villa, against whom they have contested 168 league matches. Villa, as well as Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion, have contested the most draws with Sunderland, having tied 44 games. The Black Cats have won 65 of the league matches against Everton which represents the most they have won against any club. Everton are also the teams to defeat Sunderland the most with 73 wins over them.