My name is Helen Veale and I'm a writer. I've been commissioned (along with my writing partner Peter Read) to write a play about football obsession, concentrating on the 1980-81 season when Toshack lead Swansea into promotion to div one.

We are looking for stories, anecdotes and any memories that fans have of that time. If at all possible, do you think you could do a small piece on your site asking fans to come and talk to us about the latter? If so, we are meeting with people on a really informal basis at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea on October 12th and 13th between 12pm and 2pm and October 14th between 6pm and 8pm. We want to collate these stories and publish them in a book, which will be exclusively for and about the fans.

Thanks very much for your time, much appreciated. By the way, the play will be at the Grand Theatre Arts wing some time next year, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the div one promotion.

Kind Regards,

Helen Veale.

P.s. Keep an eye out in the evening post - there will be an article coming out soon about the project and Pete and I will be on the Kevin Johns radio show on the wave next Friday morning."

And in last night's Evening Post the following article from Chris Peregrine appeared

Kenny Jackett's Swans may be on top of the world at the moment, or League One to be precise.But for many people, the mention of the club from Wales's second city will see them wallowing in nostalgia about the boys from the Toshack era. After a convoluted journey along the European football highway, John Toshack is now at the helm of the Welsh national team. But as a manager, he cut his teeth with the Swans, taking them from the depths of the old Football League to the pinnacle of the then First Division. And now, city-based writers Peter Read and Helen Veale are about to embark on a project recalling the glory days of the early 1980s. They are writing a play set against the backdrop of Swansea City's momentous 1980-81 season which saw them promoted to the old first division. The pair are asking fans with any interesting memories, stories or anecdotes of that season to contact them so they can develop ideas for the work. "The play, which is called Toshack or Me, centres around fanatical characters and one married couple in particular," said Peter. "Tackling the issue of obsession, it charts the suffering of a wife who ends up giving her husband the ultimatum: 'It's Toshack or me!" Helen and Peter were involved in a similar project when they used the successful Wrexham team of the late 1970s as the basis for a play. "We did a play on the Wrexham team which won the old third division in 1978/79 and the Welsh Cup, and got to the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup," he said. "It contained players like Dai Davies, Arfon Griffiths, Mickey Thomas and Dixie McNeil. We used all that as a basis for the play. "We put it on in Wrexham last March and it went extremely well. People came to see it who wouldn't normally go to the theatre." Now they are hoping to repeat the formula for a project close to Peter's heart, the era of Alan Curtis, Robbie James, Jeremy Charles, Leighton James and all. "I have always been a football fanatic," said Peter. "It is just fantastic that grown men can behave like children when 3pm comes around. "Nothing else matters except the score. You forget about normal life for two hours. If a nuclear bomb went off you would still probably carry on watching the match." Fanaticism met folklore in those far-off Vetch Field days and now Peter is hoping that Swans fans of that era will come forward with their tales of the time. Already one club legend has given it his seal of approval. "Alan Curtis has been tremendously supportive of the project," said Peter. "We hope that people will share their memories with us." The play will be performed next September at the Grand Theatre Arts Wing by Swansea-based professional company Fluellen Theatre Company. Peter and Helen will be at the city's Dylan Thomas Centre for fans to pop in with their stories on October 12 and 13 between noon and 2pm and October 14 between 6pm and 8pm.

Anyone who wants to get in touch with Helen can do so