Swansea City A.F.C.

Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1912 as Swansea Town but changed their name in 1970 to reflect Swansea's new status as a city. The Swansea City Supporters' Trust owns shares in the club;

History

Early years (1912–1945)

thumb|right|300px|The Swansea Town team during its first season, 1912–13

Following an increasing interest in football in the Swansea area, the town's first professional football club, Swansea Town, was established in 1912. John William Thorpe, a local solicitor, was elected the club’s first chairman. The following season, the club reached the first round proper of the FA Cup and finished fourth in the league.

After the First World War, the football leagues were restructured and the club began to compete in the new Third Division of the Football League in 1920.

Success and decline (1970–1986)

thumb|300px|Chart showing the progress of Swansea City A.F.C. through the [[English football league system]]

After Swansea became a city in 1969, the club changed their name to Swansea City in early 1970. Swansea's four-year rise to the top division became a record in English football, held jointly with Wimbledon. Swansea also won the Welsh Cup that season, qualifying for Europe for the first time since the 1965–66 season.

The club's first match in the top flight was a 5–1 win against Leeds United, and they also defeated Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United during the season. Despite being relegated to the Second Division the following season, Swansea enjoyed success in Europe after defeating Braga and winning 12–0 against Sliema Wanderers, a club record result.

In July 2001, following relegation back to the Third Division, the club was sold to managing director Mike Lewis for £1. Lewis subsequently sold his stake to a consortium of Australian businessmen behind the Brisbane Lions football team, fronted by Tony Petty, again for £1. Huw Jenkins was named chairman in January 2002.

thumb|Swansea fans and players celebrate the last league goal to be scored at the [[Vetch Field]]

Swansea were also struggling on the pitch. The new ownership sought to keep the team in the Football League, and Brian Flynn was named manager in late 2002. When Martínez left Swansea in 2009, Paulo Sousa replaced him before leaving himself in 2010.

thumb|right|Swansea City celebrate promotion to the Premier League at Wembley Stadium

Brendan Rodgers replaced Sousa and led the club to the Premier League in 2011 after defeating Reading 4–2 in the play-off final, with Scott Sinclair scoring a hat-trick. Swansea became the first Welsh team to play in the Premier League since its formation in 1992. Ahead of their debut season, the club signed Danny Graham from Watford for a then-record fee of £3.5 million. They defeated Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, the eventual champions, at home during the season. Swansea finished eleventh in the league, but Rodgers left to manage Liverpool at the end of the season.

200px|thumb|left|The Swansea City A.F.C. centenary crest used during the [[2012-13 Swansea City A.F.C. season|2012–13 season]]

Rodgers was replaced by Michael Laudrup for the 2012–13 season, which was the club's centenary season. Swansea then beat West Ham United 3–0 at the Liberty Stadium, with Michu scoring his third goal in two games. This saw Swansea top of the Premier League; it was the first time since March 1982 the team had been at the summit of the top tier. Swansea beat Bradford City 5–0 in the 2013 Football League Cup final, which was the biggest win in the final of the competition. It was Swansea's first major piece of silverware in England and qualified them for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League. Swansea finished the Premier League season in ninth place, and Michu was the club's top scorer in all competitions with 22 goals. That summer, they paid a club record transfer fee of £12 million for striker Wilfried Bony from Vitesse Arnhem.

thumb|left|200px|Michael Laudrup led Swansea to the Europa League and a top half finish in the Premier League

Swansea enjoyed initial success in Europe, beating Spanish side Valencia 3–0 at the Mestalla Stadium in September 2013. Two months later, they lost the first Welsh derby in the Premier League to Cardiff City following a 1–0 defeat. In February 2014, Laudrup was dismissed after poor form and accusations of financial impropriety involving his agent Bayram Tutumlu. Defender Garry Monk, a Swansea player since 2004, was named as his replacement. In Monk's first game, Swansea beat Cardiff 3–0 at the Liberty Stadium. Despite holding Rafael Benítez's Napoli to a 0–0 draw in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 32, Swansea exited the competition after losing 3–1 in the second leg at the Stadio San Paolo on 27 February 2014.

Bony was sold to Manchester City for a record sale of £25 million in January 2015, with add-ons reportedly leading to £28 million. This deal eclipsed the record fee Swansea received from Liverpool for Joe Allen at £15 million. Swansea finished eighth in the league at the end of the 2014–15 season with 56 points, their highest position and points haul for a Premier League season, and second highest finish in the top flight of all time. During the season, they produced league doubles over Arsenal and Manchester United, becoming only the third team in Premier League history to do so. Monk was sacked the following season after poor form and replaced by Francesco Guidolin.

American ownership and return to the Championship (2016–present)

thumb|right|250px|Swansea line up against Arsenal at the [[Emirates Stadium in 2017]]

In July 2016, an American consortium led by Jason Levien and Steven Kaplan bought a controlling interest in the club, but chairman Huw Jenkins remained. Bradley was dismissed after 85 days; he won only two of his eleven games. He was replaced by Paul Clement, who secured Swansea's Premier League status in May 2017. A poor first half of the 2017–18 season saw Clement dismissed and replaced by Carlos Carvalhal. Despite consecutive league home wins against Liverpool (1–0), Arsenal (3–1), Burnley (1–0), and West Ham (4–1), Swansea were winless in their last nine league games (losing five) under Carvalhal, leaving them in eighteenth place on the final day of the season. They were relegated on 13 May 2018, following a 2–1 defeat to already-relegated Stoke City. including a quarter-final appearance in the FA Cup. Jenkins resigned as chairman amid criticism over the club's sale to the American consortium in 2016 and relegation from the Premier League. After Potter left to manage Brighton, former England U17 manager Steve Cooper replaced him. In September 2019, Swansea sat at the top of the table after an unbeaten first month; this was the club's best start to a season in 41 years. On the final day of the season, Swansea defeated Reading 4–1 to finish sixth, moving into the play-offs ahead of Nottingham Forest on goal difference, but were later defeated by Brentford in the semi-final second leg.

At the end of the 2020–21 season, Swansea finished fourth in the league and secured a play-off place for a second consecutive season. They progressed to the play-off final after defeating Barnsley 2–1 on aggregate, but lost to Brentford at Wembley Stadium. After Cooper left the club, Russell Martin became head coach in 2021, leading the team to mid-table finishes before moving to Southampton in 2023. The following seasons saw several managers hired and dismissed, with the team struggling in the league. Swansea also saw changes in ownership when Levien and Kaplan sold their majority shareholding in November 2024. In the following months, Real Madrid footballer Luka Modrić and American rapper Snoop Dogg joined the club's new ownership group.

Stadium

The Vetch Field was Swansea's home ground between 1912, the year the club was founded, and 2005. The ground saw a record attendance of 32,796 in a 1968 FA Cup fourth round game against Arsenal. The first game to be played at the stadium was Swansea's friendly game against Fulham. It was renamed the Swansea.com Stadium on 9 August 2021, following a 10-year naming rights agreement. As of September 2025, the stadium's capacity is 21,000. particularly after the 1960s. In a 2009 match, referee Mike Dean was struck on the head by a coin thrown from the crowd in the 2–2 draw between the clubs.

While Cardiff have won more derby matches, neither team had completed the league double until the 2021–22 season. During the season, Swansea won 3–0 and 4–0 to become the first side to complete the double in the derby's 110-year history. The following season, Swansea beat Cardiff 2–0 at home and 3–2 in the away game, which marked a fourth consecutive derby win and a second consecutive league double.

Swansea City and Bristol City have also been described as rivals.

Identity

Nicknames

People from Swansea are nicknamed Jacks, a nickname also associated with the football club. According to Swansea University history professor Martin Johnes, Jack was a nickname for sailors, who would be described in other cities by their hometown, hence "Swansea Jack". A famed local canine lifeguard in the 1930s was coincidentally named Swansea Jack, helping popularise the name further. Johnes said that the association of the Jack nickname with Swansea's people and football club is evident from after World War II.

Kits and crests

thumb|150px|Swansea's crest for the 2021–22 season, based on a design used until 1998. The background colour was altered to light blue in 2022–23 before the 1998 design was reinstated.

Upon foundation in 1912, Swansea Town adopted white shirts and shorts due to Swansea RFC, a rugby union team. Secondary colours on the home kit have predominantly been black, with orange in the 1960s and red in the 1990s and 2000s. In 2012–13, the club celebrated their centenary with a copper-trimmed kit and a commemorative crest.

When new owners Silver Shield took over in 1998, they changed the club crest as the bird on it was not universally recognisable as a swan, and the background was blue, the colour of rivals Cardiff City. In 2021, to mark the 40th anniversary of the club's first promotion to the top flight in 1981, Swansea City reintroduced the badge that had preceded the 1998 design. Though it was not used on kits until the 1990s, it was used on stationery and merchandise in the 1980s. The 1998 crest was reintroduced to kits in 2023.

Kit manufacturers and sponsors

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%;"

|-style="color:white;"

! style="background:#FFFFFF;color:#000000;min-width:04em;"|Period

! style="background:#FFFFFF;color:#000000;min-width:10em;"|Kit manufacturer

! style="background:#FFFFFF;color:#000000;min-width:10em;"|Shirt sponsor

|1975–1979

|Bukta

|rowspan=3|none

|1979–1981

|Adidas

|1981–1984

|Patrick

|1984–1985

|Hummel

|rowspan=3|Diversified Products (DP)

|1986–1989

|Admiral Sportswear

|1989–1991

|rowspan=2|Spall Sports

|1991–1992

|none

|1992–1993

|rowspan=2|Matchwinner

|ACTION

|1993–1995

|rowspan=2|Gulf

|1995–1996

|rowspan=2|Le Coq Sportif

|1996–1997

|South Wales Evening Post

|1997–1999

|rowspan=2|New Balance

|Silver Shield

|1999–2000

|M&P Bikes

|2000–2001

|rowspan=3|Bergoni

|Stretchout

|2001–2004

|The Travel House

|2004–2005

|RE/MAX

|2005–2007

|rowspan=2|Macron

|The Travel House

|2007–2008

|rowspan=2|swansea.com

|2008–2009

|rowspan=2|Umbro

|2009–2011

|rowspan=2|32Red

|2011–2013

|rowspan=2|Adidas

|2013–2016

|GWFX

|2016–2017

|rowspan=8|Joma

|BETEAST

|2017–2018

|LeTou

|2018–2019

|Bet UK

|2019–2020

|YOBET

|2020–2022

|Swansea University

|2022–2023

|Westacres (Home) Swansea University (Away) Owens (Third)

|2023–2025

|Reviva (Home) Westacres (Away and Third)

|2025–present

|Reviva (Home and Away) Gulf (Third)

European record

:Swansea City's scores are given first in all scorelines.

{| class="wikitable"

! Season

! Competition

! Round

! Opponent

! Home

! Away

! Aggregate

! Refs

| 1961–62

| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

| Preliminary round

| Motor Jena

| style="text-align:center;"| 2–2

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–5

| style="text-align:center;"| 3–7

| style="text-align:center;"|

| 1966–67

| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

| First round

| Slavia Sofia

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–1

| style="text-align:center;"| 0–4

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–5

| style="text-align:center;"|

| 1981–82

| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

| First round

| Lokomotive Leipzig

| style="text-align:center;"| 0–1

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–2

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–3

| style="text-align:center;"|

| rowspan=3| 1982–83

| rowspan=3| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

| Preliminary round

| Braga

| style="text-align:center;"| 3–0

| style="text-align:center;"| 0–1

| style="text-align:center;"| 3–1

| style="text-align:center;"|

| First round

| Sliema Wanderers

| style="text-align:center;"| 12–0

| style="text-align:center;"| 5–0

| style="text-align:center;"| 17–0

| style="text-align:center;"|

| Second round

| Paris Saint-Germain

| style="text-align:center;"| 0–1

| style="text-align:center;"| 0–2

| style="text-align:center;"| 0–3

| style="text-align:center;"|

| 1983–84

| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

| Preliminary round

| Magdeburg

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–1

| style="text-align:center;"| 0–1

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–2

| style="text-align:center;"|

| 1989–90

| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

| First round

| Panathinaikos

| style="text-align:center;"| 2–3

| style="text-align:center;"| 3–3

| style="text-align:center;"| 5–6

| style="text-align:center;"|

| 1991–92

| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

| First round

| AS Monaco

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–2

| style="text-align:center;"| 0–8

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–10

| style="text-align:center;"|

| rowspan=6| 2013–14

| rowspan=6| UEFA Europa League

| Third qualifying round

| Malmö FF

| style="text-align:center;"| 4–0

| style="text-align:center;"| 0–0

| style="text-align:center;"| 4–0

| style="text-align:center;"|

| Play-off round

| Petrolul Ploiești

| style="text-align:center;"| 5–1

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–2

| style="text-align:center;"| 6–3

| style="text-align:center;"|

| rowspan=3| Group stage

| Kuban Krasnodar

| align="center"| 1–1

| rowspan=3 align="center"| 2nd place

| align="center"|

| St. Gallen

| align="center"| 1–0

| align="center"| 0–1

| align="center"|

Players

Current squad

<!----------------------------- READ THIS NOTICE FIRST BEFORE EDITING ----------------------------------

– Do NOT add new players before their signing is officially announced by the club through their website, including medical and signing the contract. A transfer fee agreed doesn't mean the player will sign.

– Do NOT remove players before their exit is officially announced by the club.

– Do NOT add or change squad numbers until it is official on the Swansea City A.F.C. website

– Only add numberless players that are likely to become part of the first team

– Pre-season numbers can be added temporarily with A REFERENCE

– This is Wikipedia, not a football newspaper. Anything unconfirmed and unsourced will be removed on sight

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

Out on loan

% = Confirmed to be released 30 June 2026

Under-23s

Retired numbers

Club officials and backroom staff

Club officials

{| class="wikitable"

! Position

! Name

| Honorary club president || Alan Curtis

|Chief executive officer || Tom Gorringe

| Directors || Andy Coleman Brett Cravatt Jason Cohen George Popstefanov Chris Sznewajs Tyler Morse Nigel Morris Todd Marcelle Keith English Martin Morgan Paul Meller (Supporter Director) Diane Hughes

First-team staff

{| class="wikitable"

! Position

! Name

| Head coach || Vítor Matos

| Assistant head coach || Ryan Maye

| First-team coaches || Joe Allen Leon Britton Diogo Medeiros Tozé Mendes Kristian O'Leary

| Head of goalkeeping || Martyn Margetson

| First-team analyst || Goncalo Ricca

| Head of medical || Dr. Jez McCluskey

| Head physiotherapist || Thomas Gittoes

| First-team kit manager || Michael Eames

Academy staff

{| class="wikitable"

! Position

! Name

| Academy manager || Ryan Davies

| Head of operations || Rebecca Gigg

| Head of coaching || Liam McGarry

| Under 21s coach || Anthony Wright In the club's first season, Whittaker led Swansea to their first Welsh Cup win. Trevor Morris, who oversaw the most games at Swansea, was also the first manager to lead a Welsh club in Europe, qualifying for the 1961–62 Cup Winners' Cup.

John Toshack, Swansea City's most successful manager with three league promotions and three Welsh Cup wins, led the club to their highest league finish, sixth place in the 1981–82 First Division. In 2011, Swansea achieved promotion to the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers, becoming the first Welsh team to play in the division since its formation in 1992. During the club's centenary year (2012–13), they won the League Cup for the first time under Michael Laudrup, the first major English trophy in Swansea's 100-year history.

Records and statistics

thumb|upright|[[Gylfi Sigurðsson is Swansea's most expensive sale; he was the club's top scorer in the Premier League, with 34 goals The player who has won the most international caps while at the club is Ashley Williams with 50 for Wales.

The goalscoring record is held by Ivor Allchurch, with 166 goals, scored between 1947 and 1958 and between 1965 and 1968. Cyril Pearce holds the record for the most league goals scored in a season, in 1931–32, with 35 league goals in the Second Division.

The club's widest victory margin was 12–0, a scoreline which they achieved once in the European Cup Winners' Cup, against Sliema in 1982. They have lost by an eight-goal margin on two occasions, once in the FA Cup, beaten 0–8 by Liverpool in 1990 and once in the European Cup Winners' Cup, beaten 0–8 by AS Monaco in 1991. Swansea's 8–1 win against Notts County in the FA Cup in 2018 is their largest winning margin of the competition, and the largest winning margin at their home ground, the Liberty Stadium.

Swansea's home attendance record was set at the fourth round FA Cup tie against Arsenal on 17 February 1968, with 32,796 fans attending the Vetch Field. The club broke their transfer record to re-sign André Ayew from West Ham United in January 2018 for a fee of £18 million. The most expensive sale is Gylfi Sigurðsson who joined Everton in August 2017 for a fee believed to be £45 million.

Honours

thumb|right|Swansea won the League Cup in 2013, their first major trophy in England

Swansea City's first trophy was the Welsh Cup, which they won as Swansea Town in 1913. Their first league honour came in 1925, when they won the 1924–25 Football League Third Division South title. Since then, Swansea have gone on to win the League Cup once, the Football League Trophy twice and the Welsh Cup a further nine times. They have also qualified for UEFA Cup Winners' Cup seven times and the UEFA Europa League once.

Swansea City's honours include the following:

League

Second Division / Championship (level 2)
Promoted: 1980–81
Play-off winners: 2011
Third Division South / Third Division / League One (level 3)
Champions: 1924–25, 1948–49, 2007–08
Promoted: 1978–79
Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (level 4)
Champions: 1999–2000
Promoted: 1969–70, 1977–78, 2004–05
Play-off winners: 1988

Cup

Football League Cup
Winners: 2012–13
Football League Trophy
Winners: 1993–94, 2005–06
Welsh Cup
Winners (10): 1912–13, 1931–32, 1949–50, 1960–61, 1965–66, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1988–89, 1990–91
FAW Premier Cup
Winners: 2004–05, 2005–06

References

External links

Swans Academy () – Official Swansea City academy site
Swans Commercial – Official Swansea City commercial site

Independent sites

Swansea City Supporters' Trust
Swansea Independent
Planet Swans
Swansea City at the Premier League official website
Forza Swansea
Latest Swansea City News and Video. .
Swans100: 100 Years of Swansea City AFC