Hospitality businesses are preparing for a uplift in profits ahead of Sunderland AFC's return to the Premier League.
Pubs in the city centre have bought in extra beer ahead of the club's opening fixture against West Ham on Saturday.
Adam Dickman, who owns the pubs Port of Call and Gatsby's, said: "We'll be open earlier and longer. When the team does well the town does well."
Some hotels in the city are also "fully booked" for the first two months of the season, with more away fans expected at matches at the Stadium of Light.
The Holiday Inn in Sunderland city centre is one of the hotels set to welcome high numbers of travelling fans.