Liberty Stadium: Swansea AFC
From Swansea FC
The Liberty Stadium is the third largest ground in Wales yet the second smallest stadium in the Premier League. It has been the home of Swansea City since they left Vetch Field in 2005. It is also the home of the Ospreys rugby team. Swansea’s promotion to the top-flight meant that The Liberty became the first Premier League ground in Wales.
The ground was officially opened in 2005 when the Swans played host to Fulham, the London club then being managed by former Swansea player Chris Coleman. The Welsh club is proud of its former players and there is a statue of Ivor Allchurch, the club’s record goalscorer with 164 goals in 445 games, outside the stadium.
Stats
| Liberty Stadium Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 2005 |
| Capacity | 21088 |
| Average Attendance | 16586 |
| Record Attendance | 20972 (Swansea City v Liverpool (2016)) |
| Pitch Size | 105 x 68 (7140) |
| Nickname | The Liberty |
| Former Name | White Rock Stadium, New Stadium Swansea, Swansea Stadium |
| Owner | Swansea Council |
| Clubs Hosted | Swansea City, Ospreys |
| First Fixture | Swansea v Fulham (23/07/2005) |
| Swansea Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1912 |
| Nickname | The Swans |
| Club Mascot | Cyril and Cybil the Swans |
| Rivals | Cardiff City, Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, Newport County |
| Previous Stadiums | Vetch Field (The Vetch) |
| Kit | White & Black (Home) / Blues (Away) |
| Training Ground | Swansea City AFC Training Academy |
| Shirt Sponsor | Reviva Coffee |
| Team Owner | Swansea Football LLC |
| Record Goalscorer | Ivor Allchurch (166) |
| Record Appearances | Wilfred Milne (586) |
Liberty Stadium Photos
By Christopher Elkins from Bristol
By Rhysowainwilliams (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0]
Christopher Elkins from Bristol, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Liberty Stadium Seating Plan and Where to Sit
Everything about Swansea is nice and simple. They keep ticket prices easy to understand and they play football in a stadium that is just as convenient to get your head around. It is in a bowl design and has two-tiers, though there are still four stands like in most traditional grounds.
- West Stand – This is where the majority of Swansea’s more ‘business’ like areas can be found, include the ticket office, club superstore and the director’s box. It’s also where the press box and TV studio is located.
- North Stand – This is where the away supporters are located, so expect a good atmosphere here as both sets of fans sing songs to each other.
- East Stand – Following the tradition established at the Vetch Field the more vocal Swansea supporters sit in the East Stand and make sure that you can hear them. This is where to go if you want a sing-song and a great atmosphere.
- South Stand – Located behind the goal at the opposite end to where the away supporters sit, the South Stand has, like the rest of the ground, excellent views of the pitch no matter where you sit.
Swansea Ticket Prices
Pricing at The Liberty Stadium is as simple as it gets. You will pay different prices depending on your age, but otherwise the tickets are sold at a flat rate. You can, however, get a discount if you are a club member, with membership costing a maximum of £27.50 for the year.
These are the adult and concession prices for tickets without any discount applied:
League Games
- Adults: £32.50 / Concession £20.00
How To Get Swansea Tickets
The first stop for tickets to see the Swans play is the official website, where you’ll find details of which tickets are still available and what fees you’ll incur for buying them. You can also call the box office directly or else from the physical box office at the ground. There may be people knocking about the ground offering tickets on the day of the match but you should be careful going down this route as they may not be legitimate.
Where to Buy
Getting To Liberty Stadium
Swansea is one of the main cities in Wales so access is reasonably easy but, if you’re coming from the North or well in the South then don’t expect a quick journey.
Train – To get to Swansea on the train you’ll normally need to change at Bristol Parkway and then go on to Wales, depending on where you’re coming from. The ground is about a half hour walk from the station, but there are regular buses too.
Bus – Buses 4, 120, 125 and the X20 all take you from the centre of Swansea to outside the ground. It takes around 6 minutes and you should keep your eyes peeled for Landore or Liberty Stadium stops.
Car – Whether coming from the East or West you’ll take the M4 and leave at Junction 45. You’ll then take the A4067 towards the city before you see signs towards the stadium.
By Air – Cardiff airport is the closest one to Swansea, though Bristol Airport is about 3 hours away if you’re looking to fly to somewhere a little more central.
Taxi – If you want to get a taxi from the train station to the ground then it will probably set you back about £5.
Parking Near Liberty Stadium
There is no official parking available at the stadium on a match day, though the club does regularly update its website with the different car parks it recommends near to the ground. All of the parking options cost £7 per car but most are only open to Swansea fans.
Useful Resources
- Parking - Just Park
Liberty Stadium Hotels
Because the stadium itself isn’t centrally located you’ll probably be looking at hotels in the centre of the city that you can travel out to the ground from. Here are some selections you can consider:
The Grand Hotel Swansea - £65+
Swansea Marriott Hotel - £84+
Village Hotel Swansea - £105+
Pubs and Bars Near Liberty Stadium
Like most cities in Wales you can have a great night out in Swansea. Most pubs near to the ground itself will be exclusively for local fans, however, so you’ll probably want to stay central for your pre-match pint.
The Globe
City Bar
The Griffin
Facilities
The facilities at The Liberty are excellent. From large, wide concourses with places to get a bite to eat or a quick drink through to top-draw betting kiosks where you can get a bet on your team, everything at the stadium is designed around the experience of the match going fan.
Prices
- Programme: £3.5
- Pie: £3.5
- Cup of tea: £2
- Beer: £4
Hospitality
As a stadium that only opened in 2005, you can bet your bottom dollar that the hospitality suites at The Liberty will be top-class. Perhaps you’d like to hire The CU29 Suite exclusively for you and 13 friends? If so you’ll enjoy a spectacular view of the pitch, flat screen TVs, heated executive seats and a champagne reception as well as bespoke pre-match dining and a complimentary bar.
If an exclusive box isn’t to your liking then maybe you’d prefer to spend some time in The 1912 Heritage Lounge. There you’ll get a pre-match buffet, half and full-time refreshments, a pay-bar facility and your whole match day will be hosted by Kevin Johns and Lee Trundle.
There’s also The Legends Lounge that will see you enjoy a pre-match hot buffet, special guest visits, displays of club memorabilia, plus complimentary half time drinks.
There are other options too, including the members only ’81 Club, Executive Suites, and the chance to dine with the directors if you are after ultimate luxury.
Private Hire
Much like with the hospitality options, the relative freshness of The Liberty Stadium means that its conferencing facilities are excellent. Perhaps you’d like to use the number of executive boxes at the ground for small conferences or breakout meetings? Maybe you’d like to hold a huge party in one of the club’s lounges? Or perhaps you’re the world’s biggest Swans fan and you want nothing more than to get married in your club’s ground. Whatever you want you can be sure that the club will be able to deal with your every request and desire.
Stadium Tours & Museum
You can do a tour of The Liberty Stadium, but they don’t offer regular tours that you can just tag on to. They have them sporadically across the year, either run by someone at the club or a club legend. If you do want to have a look around the ground, though, you’ll be able to see things like the home dressing room, the television studio and the players’ tunnel as well as more exciting things such as the CCTV control room and even the club’s police station and holding cells! All this for the meagre sum of £15 for adults, £12 for concessions, and £8 for children, or £25 for adults and £18 for concessions and children if you opt for a legends tour.
About Swansea
Founded in 1912 as Swansea Town, the club is one of the younger members of the Football League, especially as they only joined it in 1921. The change of name to Swansea City came in 1969 to reflect the fact that Swansea itself had been granted city status. They nearly won the league in 1982, the year after being promoted to the First Division.
A decline set in after that near miss, with the club getting relegated down to the fourth-tier of English football and nearly heading in to the conference in 2003. They turned things around, though, with many believing that the club’s success is at least in part down to the fact that supporters’ groups themselves own 20% of the club and have a high involvement in their development.
The Swans returned to the top-flight in 2011 and had a good few years there until 2018 when they were relegated. Through managers like Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers, the Welsh club’s style of play has oft been lauded. Under Michael Laudrup they won their first major trophy when they picked up the League Cup in 2013. They won by 5-0 against Bradford City, the competition’s highest ever winning margin.
Liberty Stadium History
When Vetch Field was declared unfit for play due to the fact that it wasn’t up-to-date, Swansea City needed a new place to host their home games. It just so happened that something not dissimilar happened to the Osprey rugby team and, with neither club having the necessary capital to invest, Swansea City Council stepped in.
The new ground was built on the location of Morfa Stadium, an athletics ground that that was already owned by the council. In the end the development cost in excess of £50 million but it’s suspected that it has more than paid for itself now, with Swansea’s home matches routinely selling out. At the start of the 2014-2015 season they updated the ground by adding big screens, advertising boards and new televisions in the concourses.
Future Developments
In October 2014 the Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins announced that the club would be expanding the stadium by 6,000 seats, starting with the East Stand. He said, “Ideally over the next six to 12 months we will have a fair idea of where we are going. We believe the demand is there”.
As is so often the case with best laid plans though, they never amounted to anything. With relegated from the Premier League in 2018 and staying in the Championship ever since, it might be a while until expansion is back on the table.