As the side grew and aged together, the players looked for more competitive football, and was a founder member of the Wearside Alliance in 1892, winning the title in 1894–95;[4] the club increasingly used the name Sunderland Royal Rovers following this triumph.

[7] The Rovers moved up to a national level by entering the FA Cup qualifying rounds from 1901–02 onwards.

[12] After a couple of decent seasons, the lure of better pay meant the club haemorrhaged players to better-resourced sides, and it spent the last part of the decade at the bottom of the table.

[13] Before the 1910–11 season, the club shortened its name to Sunderland Rovers,[14] and by the start of the First World War had recovered to mid-table status.

[16] The Rovers' final reported game was a first round Shipowners' Cup defeat at Sunderland West End in February 1918.