Premier League football club Sunderland is targeting major US cities that identify with its industrial heritage as tougher financial rules push England’s leading clubs to seek out fresh sources of revenue. Tom Burwell, the club’s chief executive, said he wanted to tap into Sunderland’s history of mining and shipbuilding, as well as its regeneration this century, as a way to drive interest in the team beyond its home in north-east England. “Our opportunity is to build on an identity and a business that’s deeply rooted in the 30km radius of Sunderland,” he told the FT. “It’s our responsibility to land that story in markets that we’re able to, then grow fan bases and ultimately grow revenues.” Burwell singled out Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Detroit as big post-industrial cities where Sunderland’s story had struck a chord during their recent pre-season tour of the US. “Our view on North America is to be highly targeted alongside partners and distribution platforms, and wrap our ve...