Liberty Stadium

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.

General information

Arena capacity: 21,088 spectators

Address: Plasmarl, Swansea SA1 2FA, UK

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 51.6427° N, 3.9346° W

Year of construction: 10 July 2005

Field: Desso GrassMaster lawn with dimensions of 105 x 68 metres (115 x 74 yards)

Seating plan of the Liberty Stadium

The Club moved to the Liberty Stadium in 2005, after spending 93 years at their former Vetch Field home. Built by Interserve for a cost of around £30m, it is located near to the former site of the Morfa Athletics Stadium on the West side of the River Tawe. The stadium was christened White Rock by the Swansea residents but was renamed the Liberty Stadium under a corporate sponsorship deal.

Although fairly conservative in its design, the stadium is still impressive. It is completely enclosed with all four corners filled with seating. Each of the four stands is two-tiered and three are of the same height. The West Stand at one side of the pitch is slightly taller, having a row of 28 corporate hospitality boxes, situated above the upper tier.

The Club’s offices are also located behind this stand. An unusual feature is the great use of transparent roofing towards the South End of the stadium. This allows more natural light into this area, making for an interesting effect. There are a couple of large video screens located in the opposite South East and North West corners. Outside the stadium at the South West corner, by the club shop and ticket office, is a statue of former Swansea legend Ivor Allchurch. The stadium is shared with Ospreys Rugby Union Club.

Away fans

Away fans are housed in the North Stand at one end of the stadium. Up to 2,000 fans can be accommodated in this area, although this allocation can be reduced to 1,000 for teams with a smaller following. The views of the playing action from this area are excellent as there is a good height between rows and the leg room is probably one of the most generous of any stadium.

The concourses are spacious, with food and beverage outlets, plus a number of television sets, for pre-match and half time entertainment. As you would expect from a new stadium the facilities are good. Away fans are separated from home fans by two metal barriers, with a line of stewards and Police in-between. Interestingly, the main singing contingent of home fans, have, in the traditions of the Vetch Field, situated themselves along one side of the pitch in the East Stand, rather than at the South end of the stadium.

The stadium is very impressive and the facilities inside the stadium are excellent. Large concourse and great views from the stands. The atmosphere generates by the Swansea fans is excellent throughout the 90 minutes and it will become an intimidating place just as the Vetch used to be. Pre-match entertainment is enjoyed by my kids especially the antics of Cyril the Swan.

Tickets will not be sold to away supporters by Swansea City on the day of the match, so do not travel unless you already have a ticket from your own Club. It is also worth bearing in mind that the Swansea fans are passionate about their club and this can make for an intimidating atmosphere. Exercise caution around the ground.

On the nearby retail park, there is a KFC & Pizza Hut – within five minutes walk. Opposite the stadium is a very nice chippy called ‘Rossi’s’. As well as the usual chips with fish, pies, sausages, etc.. they also do salads and jacket potatoes.

Where to buy tickets?

Pricing at The Liberty Stadium is reasonably simple, with games broken down into two categories and two prices within those categories. Matches against Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool are Category A, whilst everything else is Category B, though the club reserves the right to change their mind about that whenever they want. There are then adult prices and concession prices, with concessions being given to people over 60, under 16 or full-time students.

All areas of the Liberty Stadium:

• Adults £30;
• Concessions £17.50;
• Under 16’s £15.

Concessions apply to Over 60’s, Under 16’s and Full Time Students (ID required at turnstiles).

Home supporters can gain further discounts on these prices by becoming club members.

Disabled supporters are admitted at the relevant price above, a helper is admitted free.

Please note that tickets for the away section are not on sale on the day of the game, but must be purchased in advance from the visiting club.

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.

How to get there?

Leave the M4 at Junction 45 and take the A4067 towards the City Centre (signposted A4067 South). Stay on the A4067 for around two and a half miles and you will reach the stadium on your left. Car parking at the stadium is for permit holders only and most of the immediate residential areas around the stadium now have ‘residents only’ parking schemes in place.

However away minibuses and coaches can park behind the North Stand in a fenced compound, at a cost of £20 per coach and £10 per minibus. Don’t be tempted to park on the nearby Morfa Retail Park as it has a time limit for parking of 90 minutes, so you may well end up with a parking fine if you then stay for the duration of the match. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near the Liberty Stadium via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

Away Fans Park & Ride Facility

Away supporters are being encouraged to use the Park & Ride facility located at the Felindre old steelworks, which is signposted off Junction 46, shortly after leaving the M4. The cost of parking there including transport by bus to and from the stadium is £6 per car. Away supporters have their own separate buses to and from the stadium, with the buses waiting outside the away stand at the end of the game to take supporters back to the car park.

The park and ride is located in the middle of nowhere, but curiously has a high fence. Apparently, the facility is also used as a park and ride for the DVLA so the fencing may be for the benefit of their staff. There are toilets on the site although they do look rather ancient. All the staff are friendly and the buses frequent. After the game ends, the park and ride buses leave the compound with the away coaches for fairly obvious reasons.

There is also some street parking to be had. If coming from the M4, you pass the stadium on your left and continue straight on towards Swansea, then after going under a bridge, then there are a number of roads on the right, where on street parking is available. It is then around a 10-15 minute walk to the stadium.

However, please note that after the game has ended the Police close the A4067 road running past the stadium, meaning that you can’t go back up to the M4 that way. You need to instead go back up to the stadium and where the road is closed turn right at the roundabout onto the A4217. At the next roundabout turn left continuing away from Swansea City Centre. At the junction with the A48 turn right and this takes you up to Junction 44 of the M4.

Post Code for SAT NAV: SA1 2FA

By train

Swansea Railway Station is on the main line route from London Paddington. It is about two miles from the Liberty Stadium. Regular local bus services (every ten minutes: routes 4, 4a, 120, 122, 125, 132) and taxis (around £7) are available from the train station to the stadium.

Otherwise if you have time on your hands and wish to embark on the 25-30 minute walk, then as you come out of the station turn right and go up the High Street. At the traffic lights turn right into Neath Road. Proceed straight along Neath Road and you will eventually reach the stadium on your right. Thanks to Tom Evans for providing the directions.

After the match has ended the Club provides a bus service to take away fans back to Swansea Railway Station. Shown with the destination ‘Town Centre’ it costs £1.50 per person.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the Trainline website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets.

By 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.

By taxi

If you want to get a taxi from the train station to the ground then it will probably set you back a little under £5.

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.

Hospitality

As a stadium that is less than 15 years old 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 Morfa 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 Gower Suite Package that will see you enjoy a pre-match buffet, a player meet and greet, a post-match quiz and beverage waiting service. If you’d still like to go a bit upmarket then The Boardroom might be for you. You’ll get maitre d’ service, fine dining and a champagne reception as well as a complimentary bar in the VIP area of the ground.

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.

Pubs & Bars Near

The Liberty Stadium is a lot more friendly than the old Vetch Field. Stoke fans are drinking in The Harvester and Frankie & Benny’s just outside the ground and a couple of the pubs just up from the stadium. Just a few minutes walk away from the stadium on Llangyfeleach Road, is the Plough and Harrow, which admits visiting fans.

There is a good mixture of both home and away supporters. Within ten minutes walk of the stadium is a newly opened microbrewery called Boss Brewing which serves great beers and burgers. You can also park there for free if available.

Otherwise, it is a choice of a drink on the way to Swansea, go into the city centre or drink inside the stadium. There are a number of pubs on Wind (pronounced as winding a watch) Street in the centre of town, such as Yates, the Bank Statement and the No Sign Bar (the latter being listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide). Ask for Castle Gardens, and you’ll see Wind Street. The Ivorites Arms on Dinas Street is also recommended.

Alcohol in the form of Carling lager and Worthington bitter are served within the stadium. The Club opens the turnstiles 90 minutes before kick off so that fans have the option to eat & drink within the stadium itself.

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 selection you can consider.

1. The Grand Hotel Swansea – £65+. Address: Ivey Place High Street, Swansea, SA1 1NX. Close to the beach and the Dylan Thomas Centre, The Grand Hotel has a restaurant and bar a conference space and free newspapers in the lobby. It’s about 1.2 miles from the ground and has free Wi-Fi.
2. Swansea Marriott Hotel – £84+. Address: Maritime Quarter, Swansea, SA1 3SS. How does a four-star hotel with a swimming pool sound for your stay in Swansea? The Marriott has a grill-style restaurant, six meeting rooms and a fitness centre. There’s free Wi-Fi here, too, and it’s about 2 miles from the ground.
3. Village Hotel Swansea – £105+. Address: Langdon Road, Swansea, SA1 8QY. Another hotel with a swimming pool that is located close to the beach, The Village has a health club, terrace and a restaurant too. It’s about 1.7 miles from the 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.