| Full name | Swansea City Association Football Club |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Swans The Jacks |
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| Founded | 1912 (as Swansea Town) | ||
| Ground | Liberty Stadium, Swansea (Capacity: 20,532) |
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| Chairman | Huw Jenkins | ||
| Manager | Brendan Rodgers | ||
| League | Premier League | ||
| 2010–11 | The Championship, 3rd (promoted via play-off) | ||
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| Current season | |||
Swansea City Association Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Abertawe) are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales and currently playing in the Premier League. The only Welsh club in the division, they play their home matches at the Liberty Stadium.
One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in a club record 6th position. Swansea are one of only two Welsh clubs to have competed in the top flight of English football, and the only and first one to have played in the Premier League being the 45th different club to participate in the competition since its inception in 1992.
Swansea City A.F.C. was founded in 1912 as Swansea Town and joined the Football League in 1921. The club changed their name in 1969, when it adopted the name Swansea City to reflect Swansea's new status as a city.[1] Since 2005 Swansea City have played their home games at the Liberty Stadium, a ground they share with the Ospreys Rugby Union Club. Before 2005 the club's home ground was Vetch Field.
Swansea City and its supporters are unofficially known as 'Jacks'. One explanation for this name is that during the 17th century, sailors from Swansea were respected and any 'Swansea Jack' was allowed to join the crew based simply on the town's reputation for good sailors. Many, however, believe that the name originates from the renowned life-saving dog Swansea Jack.
The Swansea City Supporters Society Ltd owns 20% of the club.[2]
The area around Swansea traditionally had been a rugby union area, and despite previous attempts by a football club named Swansea Villa, there were no notable football clubs until the establishment of Swansea Town AFC in the summer of 1912. They, following the lead of many other South Wales sides, joined the second division of the Southern League for the following season. J. W. Thorpe was the club's first chairman. A site near the town centre owned by Swansea Gaslight Co., called Vetch Field was rented to be the club's ground. The club's first professional match was a 1–1 draw at the Vetch Field against Cardiff City on 7 September 1912. During that first season the Welsh Cup was won for the first time, and the following season the Swans became the first side to reach the First Round of the FA Cup. Blackburn Rovers were the first First Division side to the visit Vetch Field for a competitive game in the 1914–1915 FA Cup – Blackburn Rovers were then the Champions of England, but Swansea Town from the Second Division of the Southern League beat them 1–0 at Vetch Field, Swansea's goal coming from Ben Beynon,[3] while Blackburn Rovers' penalty taker Bradshaw missed a penalty. There is little remarkable about that, but before the game Bradshaw had scored with thirty-six consecutive spot kicks. Even more remarkable when Swans played most of the second half with ten men and the final fifteen minutes with just nine men as two players were forced to retire through injury[4][5] The Swans drew at another First Division side, Newcastle United, in the next round, before losing narrowly in the replay.
Following the First World War the Southern League dropped its second division, and with many clubs dropping out due to financial difficulties, the Swans were placed in the first division. After just four seasons in the Southern League, Swansea Town became founder members of the new Third Division of The Football League in 1920 and then Division Three (South) the following season.
After five seasons in Division Three (South) and a few failed bids for promotion, the Swans reached the Second Division for the first time in 1925, beating Exeter City 2–1 at home on the final day of the season to beat perennial runners-up Plymouth Argyle to the Championship. The side had remained unbeaten at home in the league all season – something the next promotion team would emulate over twenty years later. The following season the Swans reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time – beating Exeter City, Watford, Blackpool, Stoke City, Millwall and Arsenal on the way to playing Bolton Wanderers at White Hart Lane. Sadly for the Swans, an experienced Bolton side won the game 3–0 and went on to win the cup. The remainder of the interwar period consisted mostly of finishes in the bottom half of the Second
After just one season back from wartime football, the Swans finished 21st in the Second Division, and thus returned to Division Three (South) for the first time since 1925. The following season was one of consolidation, however in 1948–1949 the Swans stormed their way to winning the division for the second time. Only one point was dropped at home all season as the feat of the 1925 promotion side was emulated, with the side finishing a whole seven points ahead of second placed Reading. Billy McCandless was the manager who led the side to promotion, and in doing so he completed a rare hat-trick of winning the Third Division (South) title with all three South Wales clubs – and without losing a home game with Swansea or Cardiff.
Following promotion, the Swans had another 15-years of Second Division football to look forward to, however despite what successive managers and chairmen were to say, Swansea Town only once during that time looked like they could genuinely challenge for promotion. That came in the 1955–1956 season, when a side containing the likes of Ivor Allchurch, Terry Medwin, Harry Griffiths and Tom Kiley led the table early in the season, before an injury to Kiley, referred to as the linchpin of the side, in mid-November led to a decline in form. He was never adequately replaced, but despite this and the sale of some of the club's best players, the side remained in contention for promotion until the beginning of April. Following a 6–1 win over second placed Leicester City at the Vetch Field at the end of March the side was just two points behind second placed Liverpool with a game in hand – however subsequent results were not as encouraging, and they eventually slipped away to finish tenth.
In 1964 the Swans reached a second FA Cup semi-final, beating Barrow, Sheffield United and Stoke City on the way to a famous sixth round victory at Anfield. Few gave the Swans, struggling for their lives at the bottom of Division Two, any chance of causing an upset against the league leaders. But the Swans were 2–0 up at half time thanks to Jimmy McLaughlin and Eddie Thomas. Liverpool turned up the pressure in the second half, pulling a goal back before being awarded a penalty nine minutes from time. Ronnie Moran had established an excellent record as a penalty taker, but he failed to beat the excellent Noel Dwyer on this occasion. Fellow second division side Preston North End awaited in the semi-final at Villa Park, but despite taking the lead through McLaughlin again the Swans were to be denied by a second half penalty and a wonder goal from nearly 40 yards.
After flirting with relegation on a few occasions during the previous seasons, the Swans' luck finally ran out a season later in 1965, and they were back in the Third Division.
Following relegation Trevor Morris, who had been manager since 1958, was sacked and Glyn Davies, a former Swansea player, was appointed in his place. Davies re-signed the 36-year old Ivor Allchurch from Cardiff City, but despite winning the Welsh Cup the season saw some of the club's heaviest defeats, and the manager only lasted the season. Relegation to Division Four followed in 1967 and Ivor Allchurch retired. Strangely, the 1967/8 season saw the record attendance of 32,796 at the Vetch Field for an FA Cup Fourth Round match against Arsenal. In 1969 the club name was changed to Swansea City, and Roy Bentley's side celebrated by securing promotion back to the Third Division. A record run of 19 matches unbeaten provided the foundations for a promotion challenge in 1971–72, but an awful run towards the end of the season resulted in a mid-table finish. A poor start the following season, combined with falling attendances, saw Bentley resign, and he was replaced by Harry Gregg. Gregg failed to stop the rot and the club was back in the Fourth Division for 1973–74 season.
A record low crowd of just 1,358 watch the Swans against Northampton Town, and the following season the Swans were forced to apply for re-election to the football league after a last day defeat at Rochdale condemned them to a 21st place finish. The application was a success, although by now former player Harry Griffiths had replaced Gregg as manager. Malcolm Struel also took over as chairman, having previously been on the board, and promised a return to former glories, stating the he would not sell the clubs best young talent as previous boards had done.
Despite promising performances during the first half of the 1977/78 season, Harry Griffiths resigned as Swansea City's manager in February 1978, doubting his own ability to take the club any further. The new manager was former Liverpool, Cardiff City and Wales striker John Toshack. On 1 March 1978, at the age of 28, Toshack became the youngest manager in the Football League, with Griffiths as his assistant. Thus began a remarkable climb from the Fourth Division to the top of the entire league. Despite relinquishing his role as manager before the end of the season, this was Griffiths' team, and the promotion from the Fourth Division was largely his doing. During this season the Swans' record league win was achieved – 8–0 against Hartlepool United. Before promotion was secured, however, Harry Griffiths died of a heart attack on 25 April 1978 before the home game against Scunthorpe United.
A further promotion was achieved next season and the club returned to the Second Division after an absence of 14 years, with Toshack himself coming off the bench to score the winning goal against Chesterfield and thus secure promotion.
After a season of consolidation, Swansea City again challenged for promotion and travelled to Preston North End on 2 May 1981 in the knowledge that victory would assure them a place in the First Division for the first time in the club's history. A 3–1 win guaranteed a third promotion in four seasons and Swansea City joined the footballing élite. The goalscorers on that historic day at Deepdale were Tommy Craig, Leighton James and Jeremy Charles. The 4 year rise from basement to top division is a record in English football, held jointly with Wimbledon F.C..[6] Coincidentally the Swansea decline started the same year as the Wimbledon rise.
The 1981/82 season began as implausibly as recent history had suggested it might. The fixture computer handed Swansea's upstarts a first-day home game against Leeds United, which Swansea promptly won 5–1 with a hat-trick by debutant Bob Latchford. Swansea had swept from the basement division to the top of the entire Football League in barely three years. Victories over footballing royalty such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur followed as the club topped the league on several further occasions. However, injuries to key players took their toll, and the lack of depth in the squad meant that the season ended in sixth-place finish.
Furthermore, a fateful combination of poor form, misfortune in the transfer market and financial problems led to a slump which was as quick and spectacular as had been the rise: two consecutive relegations followed, and Toshack was sacked. By 1985, the club was battling for its very survival on two fronts. Whilst its creditors lined up a High Court hearing with the aim of liquidating the club, Swansea City had come to rely on a combination of old stagers and young professionals.
Wound up by court order in December 1985, Swansea City was saved by local businessman Doug Sharpe who took over the running of the club, although the change of ownership was not enough to prevent relegation to the Fourth Division in 1986. Eight years on from the first promotion under Toshack, the club was back where it had started.
Swansea won promotion from the Fourth Division in 1988 – beating Rotherham United and Torquay United over two legs in the inaugural playoffs. They remained in the league's third tier for the next eight seasons – the longest period of stability the club had seen since the war.
Doug Sharpe may have kept the purse strings tight, but under Terry Yorath and then Frank Burrows, the club managed to stay in the Second Division, reach the playoff semi-finals in 1993 and make their first Wembley appearance a year later.
Burrows guided the Swans to within 180 minutes of Wembley in 1993 – a run of five wins in the last six league matches (all at home) secured a playoff place, and with five minutes remaining of the first leg of the semi-final against West Bromwich Albion, the Swans were 2–0 up. Andy McFarlane scored an own goal when the ball rebounded off the crossbar then into the net off his knee to give West Brom a lifeline, and two early goals in the second leg gave "the Baggies" the advantage, until midfielder Micky Mellon was sent off. Burrows threw on Colin West, however within minutes of coming on the former West Brom striker was sent off, and ended any hopes of a Wembley final.
Although the league campaign the following season did not live up the previous one, mainly due to the sale of key players, Burrows guided the Swans to Wembley for the first time in their history for the final of the Autoglass Trophy. Wins over Plymouth Argyle & Exeter City in the group stage followed by triumphs over Exeter again, Port Vale, Leyton Orient and Wycombe Wanderers over two legs saw the Swans play Huddersfield Town in a final that finished 1–1. Chairman Doug Sharpe brought back the famous hat, and the Swans went on to win 3–1 on penalties.
The following season failed to live up to expectations, although the club again reached the semi-finals of the Auto Windscreens Shield, eventually going out to Birmingham City, and an eventful FA Cup run saw them win at Middlesbrough in a third round replay, before going out to Newcastle United at St James' Park.
1995/96 ended with relegation back to the third division after 8 years. The Swans were doing fine around Christmas time, but a complete collapse in the second half of the season, including a 7–0 FA Cup defeat at third division Fulham, 4–0 and 5–1 defeats at Blackpool and Oxford United respectively, relegation was inevitable, despite the arrival of Jan Mølby.
Relegation in 1996 was accompanied by an unfortunate statistic: never before had the club been managed by four men in the same season. Most embarrassing was the appointment of Kevin Cullis as manager by a consortium wishing to buy the club. Cullis, whose previous experience was with non-league Midlands club Cradley Town youth team, was certainly not the "big name" manager promised by the new owners. Alarmed at developments at the club, outgoing chairman Doug Sharpe invoked a contractual clause to cancel the deal and resumed control himself: Cullis was promptly sacked after just six days. During his short-lived reign, his evident lack of ability led to senior players Christian Edwards and Dave Penney ejecting Cullis from the dressing room during half time and giving the team talk themselves in a 4–0 defeat to Blackpool, which proved to be his second and last game in charge.
Cullis's successor was the Dane, Jan Mølby, a former Liverpool player taking his first steps in management. His appointment inevitably prompted comparison with the Toshack era which began nearly 20 years earlier. Despite relegation in 1996, the club reached the final of the 1997 Third Division promotion play-offs but lost to Northampton Town, whose goal came from a re-taken free kick by John Frain in the final minute. Mølby was sacked just weeks into the following season, with Swansea struggling near the foot of the league. After the initial optimism, the Liverpool connection had not caused history to repeat itself.
Alan Cork was appointed as manager, but was dismissed after leading the club to its lowest league finish for 23 years. John Hollins was appointed, and things soon started to improve. In 1999, the club reached the promotion play-offs, only to lose in extra time at Scunthorpe United. The season was also notable for a third round FA Cup victory over Premiership opponents West Ham United, whose team included Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand and John Hartson. Swansea thus became the first bottom division team to defeat a Premiership club in the FA Cup since the re-organisation of the league structure in 1992.
The club was promoted in 2000 as Division Three champions, following a nail-biting championship decider on the final day of the season against second-placed Rotherham United. Hollins' side certainly proved to be effective and functional, rather than pretty, seemingly winning 1–0 every week on their way to the title. The side conceded just 32 goals all season, largely due to the form of excellent centre-back pairing Jason Smith and Matthew Bound, as well as 'keeper Roger Freestone. During the season the side set a record of nine consecutive league victories, and, during the same period, seven consecutive clean sheets. Striker Walter Boyd also set an unwanted record of being the fastest substitute ever sent off, when he was red-carded for striking a Darlington player seconds after being brought on and before play had resumed, therefore being officially recorded as zero seconds.
Promotion was secured courtesy of a 3–0 win over Exeter City at a packed Vetch Field. The 1–1 draw at Rotherham United, however, was overshadowed by the death of supporter Terry Coles, trampled to death by a police horse in narrow Millmoor Lane before the game.
Despite significant optimism on the terraces, it was clear that the team was not strong enough to survive in the higher division and relegation occurred in May 2001, just 12 months after promotion. Hollins had failed to strengthen the side at all during the summer, and despite a decent start, a 5–1 defeat at big-spending Reading in September led to a disastrous slide down the table, and the side won just eight games all season, and were saved from bottom spot only by Oxford United being even worse. Hollins' certainly was not helped by lack of investment from the board and injury to key players, but the fans patience wore thin as his continual insistence that the squad was good enough to survive grew more comical by the week. Relegation seemed certain following a 5–3 defeat at fellow strugglers Luton Town, where Giovanni Savarese scored a hat-trick, however Hollins' maintained that the side could stay up, even when 18 points were needed from the final six matches, and for two other teams to pick up no more points.
In July 2001, following relegation back to Third Division, the club was sold to managing director Mike Lewis for £1. Lewis subsequently sold on his stake to a consortium of Australian businessmen behind the Brisbane Lions (Australian rules football) football team, fronted by Tony Petty. Seven players were sacked and eight others saw their contracts terminated. Supporters were angered, sanctions were threatened by the Football League, and a rival consortium headed by ex-player Mel Nurse sought to buy out the new owners. During this period Hollins was sacked after a poor start to the season, and Colin Addison took over as manager. The turmoil led to the creation of the Swansea City Supporters' Trust, which sought to save the club and ultimately guarantee supporter representation on the club's board.
The Petty group sold its stake in January 2002 after a bitter stand-off with the Nurse consortium, which was supported by the majority of the club's fans. Despite the turmoil off the pitch, Addison's side had managed a mid-table position, but lack of funds led to his dismissal in early March, and under Nick Cusack the club slumped to a 20th placed-finish. Cusack lasted just eight games into the following season, and was sacked after a 1–0 defeat at league debutants Boston United put the Swans on the bottom of the Football League for the first time ever. He was replaced by Brian Flynn. Swansea City avoided relegation to the Football Conference on the last day of the season, at the expense of Exeter City, a club then vice-chaired by Mike Lewis.
Brian Flynn's side finished 2003–04 10th and reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in 24 years, eventually losing 2–1 at Tranmere Rovers. Flynn was dismissed and replaced by Kenny Jackett. Jackett lost his first six matches in charge, ending any hope of a play-off place. The following season Jackett recruited a number of new defensive players and set a record of seven consecutive home clean sheets, all victories. The Swans' last season at the Vetch Field saw the club win promotion on the last day of the season, clinching a 3rd-placed finish with a 1–0 win away to Bury. Their last league game at their old ground was a 1–0 win over Shrewsbury Town, with the last game of any sort being a 2–1 win against Wrexham in the final of the 2005 FAW Premier Cup.
The club moved to the new Liberty Stadium during the summer of 2005. The first competitive game was a 1–0 victory against Tranmere Rovers in August 2005. In their first season back in League One Swansea finished in sixth place in the league, qualifying for the play-offs. After beating Brentford in the semi-finals, they lost on penalties to Barnsley in the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, . The Swans won the Football League Trophy for the first time since 1994 and the FAW Premier Cup for a second successive year. The following season saw manager Jackett resign mid-season to be replaced by Roberto Martinez. Martinez's arrival saw an improvement in form, but Swansea missed out on the play-offs again.
After an indifferent start to 2007–08 the Swans spent much of the middle of the season near the top of League One with an 18 game unbeaten run from November to March. Swansea were promoted on April 12 following a 2–1 success at Gillingham, and crowned Champions the following week despite a home defeat by Yeovil Town. The club amassed a total of 92 points over the course of the season, the highest ever by a Welsh club in the Football League. Five Swansea players were in the PFA Team of the Year, including the division's 29-goal top scorer Jason Scotland. That same season Swansea lost on penalties to Milton Keynes Dons in the area final of the Football League Trophy.
On returning to the second tier of English football, Swansea finished the 2008–09 season in eighth place, and missed out on the play-offs the following season by a single point. A third place finish in 2010–11 qualified the club for the play-offs. After beating Nottingham Forest 3–1 on aggregate in the semi-final they defeated Reading 4–2 in the final at Wembley Stadium, with Scott Sinclair scoring a hat-trick.[7] Swansea joined a list of only a few clubs who have won a final at Old Wembley, the Millennium Stadium and New Wembley.
Kicking off the 2011–12 in the Premier League made Swansea the first Welsh team to play in the division since its formation in 1992. Their first match was a 4-0 away defeat to Manchester City, although the team still shown signs of promise after keeping the score 0-0 at half time. Despite the loss, their fans continued to enjoy every moment, after going three down supporters could be heard singing, "We're going to win 4-3". Their first win and first goals were later achieved on 17/09/2011 beating WBA 3 - 0 with goals from Scott Sinclair, Leroy Lita and Nathan Dyer.
Before Swansea Town was established, children would play football on waste ground in which a cabbage-like plant, called "vetch" was grown. The site was owned by Swansea Gaslight Company in 1912, but was deemed surplus to requirements at the Gas Company. So Swansea Town moved in when they were established in 1912.[8] The ground originally held 12,000, but hit its peak attendance of 32,786 in an 1967 FA cup Fifth Round against Arsenal. The last league goal ever scored at the Vetch was scored by Adrian Forbes, on 30 April 2005, as Swansea beat Shrewsbury Town 1–0.
With a rapidly deteriorating Vetch Field, Swansea looked to relocate. As Swansea and the Ospreys did not have the capital to invest in a new stadium, the Swansea City Council and a developer-led consortia submitted a proposal for a sustainable 'bowl' venue for 20,520 seats on a site to the west of the river on the site of the Morfa Stadium, which the Council owned. It was funded by a 355,000 ft retail park on land to the east of the river. The final value of the development being in excess of £50m. On 23 July 2005, The Liberty Stadium was officially opened as Swansea faced Fulham in a friendly game.[9]
The Liberty Stadium holds a capacity of 20,532 and the highest attendance recorded was 20,404 at league game against Aston Villa on 27 November 2011 . The stadium has also hosted two Welsh international football matches; the first being a 0-0 draw with Bulgaria in 2006[10] and the second a 2-1 defeat to Georgia in 2008. The first international goal to be scored at the Liberty Stadium was a 25-yard effort from Welsh international Jason Koumas.[11]
Swansea City's main rivals are Cardiff City. Matches between these two clubs are known as the South Wales derbies and are usually one of the highlights of the season for both sets of supporters. To a lesser extent, Swansea City's other rivals are Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, and Newport County. However, Swansea very rarely meet Newport as they are currently separated by four divisions, whilst the two clubs share a mutual rivalry with Cardiff City.
The rivalry between Swansea and Cardiff, often regarded as one of the most hostile rivalries in British football,[12] has been marred by football hooliganism and matches between clubs have resulted in violence between both sets of supporters. A contingent of Cardiff City's support call themselves the Soul Crew, which became notorious through their actions.[13] In September 1988, after seeing their side win in Swansea, a group of around thirty Cardiff hooligans were chased into the sea by a group of fifty Swansea fans. Since then, Swansea fans mockingly suggest to their Cardiff City rivals that they "swim away", in reference to the event.[14]
Swansea have won 20 of the sides' league meetings, compared to Cardiff's 18, with a further 16 drawn; still to this day neither team has done the double. Following Swansea City's promotion to the Championship, the clubs were drawn in the League Cup which would be the first meeting between both sides for nine years.[15] Swansea City won the tie with a solitary goal from a deflected free-kick taken by Jordi Gómez. The match saw sets of supporters from both clubs clash with police after the match.[16] The next two league games both finished in 2–2 draws.[17][18] However, the derby game at Ninian Park was marred with controversy as referee Mike Dean was struck by a coin from a Cardiff City supporter. In 2009/10, the Swans beat Cardiff 3–2 at the Liberty Stadium in November thanks to a double from Darren Pratley, before losing 2–1 in Cardiff in April to a late Michael Chopra strike. With Swansea and Cardiff both pushing for promotion to the Premier League, the first derby at the new Cardiff City Stadium, and the first Cardiff win in nine meetings between the sides, was billed as being the biggest South Wales derby of all time, in respect to the league positions of the teams and how close it came to the end of the season. The most recent derbies from the 2010/2011 season resulted in Swansea beating Cardiff 1-0 away with a late winner from then on-loan Marvin Emnes before losing their home game due to a late strike from Craig Bellamy.
A list of all major honours that Swansea City have won over the years.
| Competition | Achievement | Year(s) |
| Championship (2nd tier) |
Third place (promoted after winning play-offs) | 2010–11 |
| Second Division (2nd tier) |
Third place (promoted) | 1980–81 |
| League One (3rd tier) | Champions | 2007–08 |
| Third Division (3rd tier) | Third place (promoted) | 1978–79 |
| Third Division South (3rd tier) |
Champions | 1924–25, 1948–49 |
| Third Division (4th tier) | Champions Third place (promoted) |
1999–2000 2004–05 |
| Fourth Division (4th tier) |
Third place (promoted) | 1969–70, 1977–78 |
| Football League Trophy | Winners Southern finalist Southern semi-final |
1994, 2006 2008 1986, 1993, 1995, 2001 |
| Welsh Cup | Winners Runners-up Semi-finalist |
1913, 1932, 1950, 1961, 1966, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1991 1915, 1926, 1938, 1940, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1969 1914, 1920, 1923, 1925, 1931, 1935, 1962, 1965, 1970, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1994, 1995 |
| FAW Premier Cup | Winners Runners-up Semi-finalist |
2005, 2006 2001, 2002 2004 |
Other honours won by the Swansea City Youth Team, Swansea City Reserves and senior teams:
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961–62 | European Cup Winners' Cup | Preliminary round | Motor Jena | 2 – 2 | 1 – 5 | 3 – 7 |
| 1966–67 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1st round | Slavia Sofia | 1 – 1 | 0 – 4 | 1 – 5 |
| 1981–82 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1st round | Lokomotive Leipzig | 0 – 1 | 1 – 2 | 1 – 3 |
| 1982–83 | European Cup Winners' Cup | Preliminary round | Braga | 3 – 0 | 0 – 1 | 3 – 1 |
| 1st round | Sliema Wanderers | 12 – 0 | 5 – 0 | 17 – 0 | ||
| 2nd round | Paris Saint-Germain | 0 – 1 | 0 – 2 | 0 – 3 | ||
| 1983–84 | European Cup Winners' Cup | Preliminary round | Magdeburg | 1 – 1 | 0 – 1 | 1 – 2 |
| 1989–90 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1st round | Panathinaikos | 2 – 3 | 3 – 3 | 5 – 6 |
| 1991–92 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1st round | AS Monaco | 1 – 2 | 0 – 8 | 1 – 10 |
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1975–1979 | Bukta | none |
| 1979–1981 | Adidas | |
| 1981–1984 | Patrick | |
| 1984–1985 | Hummel | Diversified Products (DP) |
| 1986–1989 | Admiral Sportswear | |
| 1989–1991 | Spall Sports | |
| 1991–1992 | none | |
| 1992–1993 | Matchwinner | ACTION |
| 1993–1995 | Gulf Oil | |
| 1995–1996 | Le Coq Sportif | |
| 1996–1997 | South Wales Evening Post | |
| 1997–1999 | New Balance | Silver Shield |
| 1999–2000 | M&B Bikes | |
| 2000–2001 | Bergoni | Stretchout |
| 2001–2004 | The Travel House | |
| 2004–2005 | RE/MAX | |
| 2005–2007 | Macron | The Travel House |
| 2007–2008 | swansea.com | |
| 2008–2009 | Umbro | |
| 2009–2011 | 32red.com | |
| 2011–Present | Adidas |
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The following have been included in the PFA Team of the Year whilst playing for Swansea City :
The Football League 100 Legends is a list of "100 legendary football players" produced by The Football League in 1998, to celebrate the 100th season of League football. Four former Swansea players made the list.
The following players have been selected by their country in the World Cup Finals, while playing for Swansea.
The following have played for Swansea and have been inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame :
Current players in bold.
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Current players in bold.
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| Name | Tenure Began | Tenure Ended | Total | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Whittaker | 1 August 1912 | 31 May 1914 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| No Manager | 1 June 1915 | 31 July 1919 | — | ||||
| Joe Bradshaw | 1 August 1919 | 1 May 1926 | 271 | 128 | 71 | 72 | 47.23 |
| No manager | 2 May 1926 | 31 January 1927 | — | ||||
| James Thomson | 1 February 1927 | 31 May 1931 | 193 | 63 | 84 | 46 | 32.64 |
| No manager | 1 June 1931 | 30 June 1934 | — | ||||
| Neil Harris | 1 July 1934 | 1 May 1939 | 218 | 71 | 98 | 49 | 32.57 |
| Haydn Green | 1 May 1939 | 1 September 1947 | 50 | 13 | 28 | 9 | 26.00 |
| Billy McCandless | 1 November 1947 | 1 July 1955 | 254 | 113 | 120 | 21 | 44.49 |
| Ronnie Burgess | 1 July 1955 | 1 August 1958 | 129 | 50 | 57 | 22 | 38.76 |
| Trevor Morris | 1 August 1958 | 31 May 1965 | 327 | 112 | 138 | 77 | 34.25 |
| Glyn Davies | 1 June 1965 | 1 October 1966 | 57 | 16 | 26 | 15 | 28.07 |
| Billy Lucas | 1 February 1967 | 1 March 1969 | 96 | 33 | 39 | 24 | 34.38 |
| Roy Bentley | 1 August 1969 | 16 October 1972 | 153 | 56 | 52 | 45 | 36.60 |
| Harry Gregg | 1 November 1972 | 1 January 1975 | 101 | 34 | 44 | 23 | 33.66 |
| Harry Griffiths | 1 January 1975 | 29 October 1978 | 126 | 53 | 45 | 28 | 42.06 |
| Harry Griffiths | 22 November 1975 | 1 February 1978 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 44.44 |
| John Toshack | 1 February 1978 | 29 October 1983 | 250 | 104 | 87 | 59 | 41.60 |
| Doug Livermore | 29 October 1983 | 21 December 1983 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 12.50 |
| John Toshack | 21 December 1983 | 4 March 1984 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 18.18 |
| Colin Appleton | 16 May 1984 | 6 December 1984 | 22 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 18.18 |
| John Bond | 16 December 1984 | 20 December 1985 | 54 | 15 | 28 | 11 | 27.78 |
| Tommy Hutchison | 21 December 1985 | 1 May 1986 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 26.09 |
| Terry Yorath | 12 July 1986 | 2 February 1989 | 139 | 58 | 46 | 35 | 41.73 |
| Ian Evans | 27 February 1989 | 13 March 1990 | 58 | 15 | 24 | 19 | 25.86 |
| Terry Yorath | 15 March 1990 | 21 March 1991 | 51 | 15 | 26 | 10 | 29.41 |
| Frank Burrows | 23 March 1991 | 31 July 1995 | 230 | 85 | 81 | 64 | 36.96 |
| Bobby Smith | 1 August 1995 | 8 February 1996 | 49 | 12 | 23 | 14 | 24.49 |
| Kevin Cullis | 8 February 1996 | 14 February 1996 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Jimmy Rimmer | 14 February 1996 | 22 February 1996 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Jan Mølby | 22 February 1996 | 8 October 1997 | 80 | 31 | 33 | 16 | 38.75 |
| Micky Adams | 9 October 1997 | 22 October 1997 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Alan Cork | 22 October 1997 | 30 June 1998 | 35 | 10 | 15 | 10 | 28.57 |
| John Hollins | 1 July 1998 | 12 September 2001 | 170 | 63 | 60 | 47 | 37.06 |
| Colin Addison | 13 September 2001 | 7 March 2002 | 35 | 11 | 16 | 8 | 31.43 |
| Nick Cusack | 8 March 2002 | 19 September 2002 | 18 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 11.11 |
| Brian Flynn | 19 September 2002 | 18 March 2004 | 82 | 28 | 32 | 22 | 34.15 |
| Alan Curtis | 18 March 2004 | 5 April 2004 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25.00 |
| Kenny Jackett | 5 April 2004 | 15 February 2007 | 156 | 69 | 47 | 40 | 44.23 |
| Roberto Martínez | 24 February 2007 | 15 June 2009 | 125 | 63 | 25 | 37 | 50.40 |
| Paulo Sousa | 23 June 2009 | 4 July 2010 | 49 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 36.73 |
| Brendan Rodgers | 16 July 2010 | Present | 61 | 31 | 11 | 19 | 50.82 |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Huw Jenkins |
| Vice Chairman | Leigh Dineen |
| Directors | Huw Cooze Gwilym Joseph Brian Katzen Don Keefe Martin Morgan Steve Penny John van Zweden |
| Associate Directors | David Morgan Will Morris |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Brendan Rodgers |
| First Team Coach | Colin Pascoe |
| Alan Curtis | |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Adrian Tucker |
| Head of Player Recruitment | David Leadbeater |
| Director of Youth Football | Tony Pennock |
| Head of Sports Science | Ryland Morgans |
| Head Physiotherapist | Kate Rees |
| Physiotherapists | Richard Buchanan |
| Ailsa Jones | |
| Football Utilities Co-ordinator | Suzan Eames |
The club has a reserve team that competes in the Premier Reserve League.
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