Steve Walton, the chief executive of English soccer club Sunderland, has confirmed that the Black Cats would sell the naming rights to the Stadium of Light to the right partner.

Sunderland reportedly lost UK£26 million (US$40 million) last year, and could unquestionably pull in a significant amount of money for the naming rights to the ground. In recent years, selling the naming rights to new grounds has become more accepted in European soccer, but it was less common in 1997, when the Stadium of Light opened.

The ground, which has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium, has a capacity of almost 50,000.

"The naming rights issue is an extremely emotive thing," Walton told the Sunderland Echo. "And it would only be done if it was completely right for the business. There have been a couple of things in that kind of area we have been looking at. We'd only do it if it worked and it didn't take anything away."

Sunderland's shirt sponsor, Boylesports, has already declined the chance to take on the naming rights to the Black Cats' ground, according to chairman Niall Quinn.

Walton added that he believes Sunderland fans will accept the sale, since the relatively new stadium does not carry the same weight of history as many other grounds. "It doesn't necessarily carry the same emotion because it's a relatively new stadium," he said.