The Stadium of Light opened in 1997 on the site of the old Wearmouth Colliery, the former coal mine that once powered the industrial economy of Wearside, and its name was chosen to reflect that transformation from darkness to light. With a capacity approaching 49,000 it is one of the ten largest football stadiums in England, though it has rarely been filled in recent years following the club's extended absence from the top flight. The ground's dramatic silhouette on the north bank of the River Wear has become the defining landmark of modern Sunderland.