History of Swansea City

The area around Swansea traditionally had been a rugby area, despite 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. The clubs first proffesional match was a 1-1 draw at the Vetch Field against Cardiff City on the 7th of September 1912.

Post-War(1945-1965)

After one season back from wartime football, the Swans were relegated and returned to Division Three for the first time since 1925. In the 1948-1949 season, the Swans stormed to winning the division for the second time. Following promotion, the Swans had another 15 years of second division football. After flirting with relegation on a few occasions during the previous seasons, the Swans' luck finally ran out as in 1965 they were relegated back to the Third Division, in which a downwards spiral from 1965-1977 took place.

Last years at the Vetch Field(2001-2005)

In July 2001, the club was sold to managing director Mike Lewis for £1. Lewis subsequently sold his stake to Australian businessmen fronted by Tony Petty. Seven players were sacked and eight others saw their contracts terminated, which angered supporters. The turmoil led to the creation of the Swansea City supporters' trust, which sought to save the club. The Swans last season at the Vetch saw the club win promotion on the last day of the season, clinching 3rd-placed finish with a 1-0 win away to Bury.

Moving to the Liberty Stadium(2005-2011)

The club moved to the Liberty Stadium during the summer of 2005. The first competitive game was a 1-0 victory against Tranmere Rovers in August 2005. The same season, the Swans won the Football League Trophy for the first time since 1994, and the FAW Premier Cup for a second successive year. The 2007-2008 season, the Swans went on an 18 game unbeaten run, which helped them to the League One title. Five Swansea players were named in the PFA Team of the Year. Upon returning to the second tier of English football after 24 years Swansea City finished the 2008-2009 season in eight place, and missed out on the playoff by a single point. The Swans finished in third place in the 2010-2011 season. After beating Nottingham Forest 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-final they defeated Reading 4-2 in the Final at Wembley Stadium, meaning promotion to the top flight.

Premier League and Europe(2011-present)

By being promoted to the Premier League for the 2011-2012 season, Swansea became the first Welsh team to play in the division since its formation in 1992. On 24th Febuary 2013, Swansea beat Bradford City 5-0 in the League Cup Final. This was Swansea's first major piece of silverware and qualified them for the 2013-2014 UEFA Europa League. Swansea enjoyed initial success in Europe, beating Spansih giants Valencia 3-0 in September 2013.