TWO North-East Premier League players swapped their football kit for stylish suits on a special club assignment today (Wednesday October 29).

Sunderland summer signings Jack Rodwell and Jordi Gomez will be making their catwalk debuts at the club charitable foundation’s annual Fashion Strikes show next month (November 24).

It has become a hardy annual on the calendar of off-pitch events at the Stadium of Light in recent years, with several of the club’s more fashion-conscious players stepping out on the catwalk sporting a range of the latest menswear designs.

The midfield duo, pre-season recruits of Black Cats’ boss Gus Poyet, paid a visit to a number of menswear and fashion stores at the Metrocentre, in Gateshead, on a scouting trip trying on outfits to wear on the big night.

This year’s Fashion Strikes event, titled The Greatest Show in Sunderland, will adopt a vintage carnival theme.

Apart from the fashion show, it offers the chance for some fine dining, with an array of musical entertainment, carnival games and other activities.

Diners will have the chance to mingle with some of the club’s famous faces, past and present, as several current players will host VIP tables.

The intu-owned Metrocentre, Europe’s largest shopping centre, has backed the event as ‘headline sponsor’, alongside entertainment sponsor, Sunderland’s Grosvenor Casino, and associate sponsor, American-themed 1950s-style ice cream parlours, Lickety Split.

Funds raised on the night will go to the Foundation of Light, the club’s charitable arm, which carries out community work across the North-East.

Various table offers are available for the Fashion Strikes event, on Monday November 24, with further information available on 0191-551-5153.