100 Years of Swansea City FC

Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Swans100 project explored, conserved and celebrated the heritage of Swansea City FC. It commemorated the Swans’ centenary in 2012 and was a partnership between Swansea University and the Swansea City Supporters’ Trust.

It established an online archive, consisting of fans’ memories, photographs and other historic documents.  In giving a voice to football supporters, the project explored and celebrated the relationship between Swansea City and the community and created a permanent record for future generations.

The online archive includes education packs that schools can use to utilise football to teach maths, literacy and history. The project ran two museum exhibitions, community events, a children’s competition and produced a book of fan memories.

We wanted people of all ages to remember their experiences of being a Swans fan.  We wanted to record all the things that history normally forgets – why people from near and far support a football club, their little superstitions and rituals, the balancing acts between football, family, money and distance, what it feels like to win or lose a game 5-0, even what the Vetch toilets were like.