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. They have played their home matches at the Swansea.com Stadium since 2005, having previously played at the Vetch Field since their founding.
Swansea entered the Southern League in 1912 before joining the Football League in 1920. They won the Third Division South title in 1925 and 1949, but fell into the Fourth Division after relegations in 1965 and 1967. Swansea won three promotions in four seasons to reach the First Division in 1981, finishing sixth in the top flight, but were back in the Fourth Division by 1986. The club won the Third Division title in 2000 but narrowly avoided relegation to the Conference in 2003. They won their fourth league title in 2008 after winning League One.
In 2011, Swansea were promoted to the Premier League and won the League Cup two years later, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. It was the first major trophy in the club's history; their other trophies include ten Welsh Cups, two Football League Trophies and two FAW Premier Cups. The club also qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup seven times between 1961 and 1991. They were relegated from the Premier League in 2018, and have since played in the Championship.
Swansea's climb from the fourth division of English football to the Premier League is chronicled in the 2014 film, Jack to a King – The Swansea Story. Several players have won caps for their country while playing for the club, including for the Wales national football team. The Swansea City Supporters' Trust owns shares in the club; their involvement was hailed by Supporters Direct in 2012 as "the most high profile example of a supporters' trust in the direct running of a club".
History
Early years (1912–1945)
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. Players were recruited from around the United Kingdom and the team joined the Southern League Second Division under the club's first player-manager, Walter Whittaker. Swansea joined several other clubs in the division, including Cardiff City, who were Swansea's first professional league opponents. The match, played on 7 September 1912 at Swansea's Vetch Field, ended in a 1–1 draw with Billy Ball scoring Swansea's first goal.During their first season, Swansea won the Welsh Cup, the Welsh league and came third in the Southern League Second Division. The following season, the club reached the first round proper of the FA Cup and finished fourth in the league. John William Bartlett took over from Whittaker in 1914. Under his leadership, the club beat reigning English champions Blackburn Rovers 1–0 in the first round of the 1914–15 FA Cup, with Swansea's goal coming from Ben Beynon.
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. Swansea won their first championship in 1925 under manager Joe Bradshaw after winning the Third Division. The following season, they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup and finished fifth in the league. After Bradshaw left the club, Swansea were without a manager until 1927, when James Thompson was appointed. The club experienced financial strain over the next few years, with players being sold for cheaper alternatives; Thompson resigned in 1931. Despite this, Swansea won the Welsh Cup again in the 1931–32 season. The club had further financial difficulties in the 1930s but avoided relegation under manager Neil Harris before the Second World War began.
Post-war (1945–1970)
When football resumed after the war, Swansea were relegated to the Third Division in 1947 but were promoted back to the Second Division as champions in 1949. During the following seasons, Swansea saw several young players break through to the senior team, including the club's eventual captain Ivor Allchurch. The club cultivated strong local support during this period, with high attendances at league games, such as a record home league attendance against Leeds United in 1955. The club continued to struggle financially, however, but they again avoided relegation on the last day of the 1957–58 season.In 1960, Swansea played their first match in the League Cup and won the Welsh Cup the following year, qualifying for the Cup Winners' Cup. This made Swansea the first Welsh club to enter a European competition. Manager Trevor Morris also led the club to the semi-final of the FA Cup in 1964, following a run which included a 2–1 away win against Liverpool in the quarter-final. Swansea were relegated back to the Third Division the following season and the financial situation at the club became critical.
Despite finishing seventeenth in the league under Glyn Davies, the club won the Welsh Cup again and qualified for their second European adventure. In 1967, however, the club were relegated to the Fourth Division, the first time in the club's history. Despite this, Swansea saw the highest attendance at the Vetch Field for their game against Arsenal in the FA Cup in 1968, which Swansea lost. Tragedy struck the club in January 1969 when players Roy Evans and Brian Purcell were killed in a car crash on the way to a game.
Success and decline (1970–1986)
After Swansea became a city in 1969, the club changed their name to Swansea City in early 1970. Roy Bentley's side celebrated by securing promotion back to the Third Division. After mid-table finishes at the end of the following two seasons, the club made a poor start to the 1972–73 season, which saw Bentley being replaced by Harry Gregg. Gregg failed to stop the team's decline and the club was back in the Fourth Division for the 1973–74 season. He was replaced by Harry Griffiths, the club's physiotherapist who had also played for Swansea. Financial issues continued to plague the club and Swansea were forced to apply for re-election to the Football League.Swansea failed to win promotion in 1977, and Griffiths resigned the following year despite a positive start to the season. He was replaced by John Toshack. Swansea were promoted in 1978, and Toshack led the club to the Second Division the following season and the First Division in 1981. They beat Preston North End 3–1 to guarantee their promotion, with goals from Tommy Craig, Leighton James and Jeremy Charles. 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. Swansea were top of the league with twelve games to play, but finished sixth. They won the Welsh Cup again to qualify for Europe. 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. Swansea were subsequently defeated by Paris-Saint Germain. Amid financial pressures, Toshack left the club in October 1983, returned eight weeks later, but left Swansea again in 1984 with the team back in the Third Division.
By 1985, the club was battling for its survival and was issued a winding-up order. Local people raised money for the club, and Manchester United played a friendly match which raised £45,000. The club was saved by Peter Howard, Harry Hyde, Bobby Jones, Mel Nurse and Dave Savage, along with local businessman Doug Sharpe, although the change of ownership was not enough to prevent relegation to the Fourth Division in 1986.
Promotions, relegations and last years at the Vetch Field (1986–2005)
Swansea were promoted from the Fourth Division in 1988 after winning the play-offs. The club won the Welsh Cup again in 1989 and 1991 to qualify for Europe. After a period of relative stability, Swansea reached the play-off semi-finals of the new Second Division in 1993 before making their first appearance at Wembley Stadium a year later, when they defeated Huddersfield Town to win the Football League Trophy.After Jan Mølby became player-manager, the club was relegated to the lowest division, although they made it to another Wembley play-off final in 1997, which they lost. Chairman Sharpe sold the club, and Swansea saw several managers during this period. Following another unsuccessful play-off semi-final in 1999, Swansea won the Third Division in 2000. However, the 1–1 draw at Rotherham United, which confirmed Swansea as Third Division champions, was overshadowed by the death of supporter Terry Coles, who was trampled to death by a police horse before the game.
In July 2001, following relegation back to the Third Division, the club was sold to managing director Mike Lewis for £1. One month later, the Swansea City Supporters' Trust was formed. Lewis subsequently sold his stake to a consortium of Australian businessmen behind the Brisbane Lions football team, fronted by Tony Petty, again for £1. After supporter demonstrations against Petty's management, during which he attempted to sack seven players to cut costs, the club was sold to a local consortium led by Mel Nurse. Huw Jenkins was named chairman in January 2002.
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. With the signings of new players including Roberto Martínez and Leon Britton, Flynn kept Swansea in the Football League following their victory against Hull City on the last day of the 2002–03 season. Despite a positive start to the following season, Kenny Jackett replaced Flynn in 2004. Jackett led Swansea to League One promotion in the club's final season at the Vetch Field. They also won the FAW Premier Cup on the last day at the Vetch.