The
Liberty Stadium is a purpose-built sports stadium and conferencing venue in the
LandoreLandore is the name of an electoral ward, a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community does not have a community council....
area of
SwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The stadium is all-seated, with a capacity of 20,532 making it the largest purpose-built venue in Swansea and the third largest stadium in Wales after the
Millennium StadiumThe Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
and the Cardiff City Stadium. It is also the home of
Swansea CitySwansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
and the Ospreys. As a result of Swansea City's promotion the stadium is the first Premier League ground in Wales. It is the second smallest stadium in the Premier League after
Loftus RoadLoftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
.
History
With the
Vetch FieldThe Vetch Field was a multi-purpose stadium in Swansea, Wales. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Swansea City until the Liberty Stadium opened in 2005. Opened in 1912, the ground held around 12,000 at the time of its closure, but upwards of 30,000 at its peak...
, St Helen's and
The GnollThe Gnoll in Neath, Wales is a sports ground, with a capacity of 5,000.In July 2009, Neath RFC presented plans for the redevelopment of the Gnoll, including building a community centre on the site, which were criticised as "too woolly".-Rugby union:...
no longer being up-to-date venues to play at, and both the Swans and the Ospreys not having the necessary capital to invest into a new stadium, Swansea council and a developer-led consortia submitted a proposal for a sustainable 'bowl' venue for 20,520 seats on a site to the west of the
River TaweThe River Tawe is a river in South Wales. It flows in a principally south-westerly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach...
on the site of the
Morfa StadiumMorfa Stadium was an athletics stadium in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. It has now been demolished and the land is occupied by the Morfa Retail Park and the Liberty Stadium, home of the city's football and rugby teams, which opened in 2005....
, an athletics stadium owned by the
City and County of SwanseaThe City and County of Swansea Council is the governing body for one of the Principal Areas of Wales covering Swansea, Gower and the surrounding area. The council consists of 72 councillors representing 36 electoral wards....
council. It was funded by a 355,000 ft retail park on land to the east of the river. The final value of the development being in excess of £50m.
The first capacity crowd recorded at the Liberty Stadium was on the 1st November 2006 when The Ospreys beat Australia 24–16. The stadium has also hosted two
Wales FootballThe Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
internationals against
GeorgiaThe Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
and
SwedenThe Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
which both ended in defeats for Wales, 2–1 and 1–0 respectively.
Naming
During its construction, a variety of names were suggested for it: most commonly-used was "White Rock" stadium (after the copper works of the same name which existed on the site historically). However "White Rock" was only used as a temporary name during its construction and when work was finished, the name was dropped and the stadium owners began looking for sponsors for the stadium. While sponsors were being searched for, it was called the "New Stadium Swansea". On 18 October 2005, Swansea-based developers Liberty Properties Plc won the naming rights to call it the "Liberty Stadium".
Opening
On 10 July 2005, The Liberty Stadium was opened and became the home to
Swansea CitySwansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
(replacing the
Vetch FieldThe Vetch Field was a multi-purpose stadium in Swansea, Wales. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Swansea City until the Liberty Stadium opened in 2005. Opened in 1912, the ground held around 12,000 at the time of its closure, but upwards of 30,000 at its peak...
) and the Ospreys (replacing St Helen's and
The GnollThe Gnoll in Neath, Wales is a sports ground, with a capacity of 5,000.In July 2009, Neath RFC presented plans for the redevelopment of the Gnoll, including building a community centre on the site, which were criticised as "too woolly".-Rugby union:...
).
On 23 July 2005, The Liberty Stadium was officially opened as Swansea City faced
FulhamFulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, (then managed by former Swansea player
Chris ColemanChristopher "Chris" Coleman is a Welsh football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Greek Side Larissa....
) in an
friendly matchAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
. The match ended in a 1–1 draw with the first goal being scored by Fulham's
Steed MalbranqueSteed Malbranque is a Belgian-born French footballer who last played for Saint-Étienne. Malbranque had previously played professionally for Lyon in his native France before moving to England where he had spells with Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland.-Lyon:He was a trainee at Lyon youth...
.
Statues
Before a league match between Swansea City and
Oldham AthleticOldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
, a statue of
Ivor AllchurchIvor John Allchurch MBE was a Welsh international footballer. His brother was Len Allchurch.Known as 'The Golden Boy' of Welsh football, Allchurch played for Swansea Town, Newcastle United and Cardiff City, where he amassed 691 games scoring 249 goals. His record of 68 caps for Wales stood until...
was unveiled to commemorate the
SwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
-born star who during two spells for the club scored a record 164 goals in 445 appearances.
International Fixtures
The ground also occasionally hosts
WalesThe Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
football international fixtures.
| Date |
Competition |
Home Team |
Score |
Away Team |
| 15 August 2006 |
Friendly |
|
0 – 0 |
|
| 20 August 2008 |
Friendly |
|
1 – 2 |
|
| 3 March 2010 |
Friendly |
|
0 – 1 |
|
| 7 October 2011 |
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier |
|
2 – 0 |
|
Concerts
| Date |
Artist |
Support Acts |
| 1 June 2007 |
The WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
|
Killing for Company
The Charlatans |
| 29 June 2008 |
Elton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
|
Richard Fleeshman Richard Jonathan Fleeshman is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His television career began as a twelve year old, playing Craig Harris for four years in Coronation Street and most recently "All The Small Things"...
The StorysThe Storys are a Welsh rock band from Swansea, Wales, UK, formed in Spring 2003. Their main influence is 1970s U.S. West Coast bands in the country-rock genre...
|
| 23 June 2010 |
Pink Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
|
VV Brown Vanessa Brown , also known as VV Brown, is an English singer, songwriter, model, and producer signed to Island Records in the United Kingdom and to Universal Republic Records and Capitol Records in the United States...
HockeyHockey is an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon.-Members:Until October 2010, the band consisted of singer Benjamin Grubin, guitarist Brian Stuart White, bassist Jeremy Reynolds, drummer Anthony Stassi and touring keyboardist Ryan Dolliver, and have been compared in their sound to bands...
Butch WalkerButch Walker is an American recording artist, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the metal band SouthGang from the late 80s to early 90s as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for rock band Marvelous 3 from 1997 until 2001.-Career:Walker grew up in Cartersville,...
and the Black Widows |
| 1 June 2011 |
Rod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
|
Swansea City FC |
| 12 June 2011 |
JLS - Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
|
Olly Murs Oliver Stanley "Olly" Murs is an English singer-songwriter and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after being the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor...
Alexis JordanAlexis Jordan is a National-Record-holding swimmer from Barbados. She swam for Barbados at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2005 World Championships, and CARIFTA and CCCAN Championships.-References:...
|
Average Attendances
| Season |
Swansea City |
Ospreys |
| 2005–06 |
14,155 |
8,373 |
| 2006–07 |
12,720 |
9,027 |
| 2007–08 |
13,520 |
8,797 |
| 2008–09 |
15,186 |
8,405 |
| 2009–10 |
15,407 |
8,445 |
| 2010–11 |
15,507 |
8,105 |
See also
- List of stadia in Wales by capacity
- List of Premier League stadiums
- List of football stadiums in England
External links