Other clubs can't believe or understand why Sunderland and Newcastle as footy clubs mean so much to the fans and the cities. They spur each other on as clubs and fans; a massive derby, a massive rivalry.

Middlesborough fans are also passionate and loyal, but they're on a level below the Sunderland/Newcastle derby - which is no disgrace, given Sunderland and Newcastle have perhaps the best rivalry in the whole world.

In this episode of Word on Wearside, join us as we explore the three teams behind this 'North East Passion'.

The team behind this episode:

• Josh Bell
• Tom Kelly-Hansford
• Josh Metcalfe

Word on Wearside is a Spark Sunderland podcast, produced by journalism students at the University of Sunderland. With teaching supervision by Lecturer in Audio, Jay Sykes.