This last week or will be like playing in the Europa League for Saints fans as after the trip to Wrexham we again travel out of the country, this time to face Swansea City at their Swansea.com stadium.

The Stadium

The last time we went it was called the Liberty Stadium, but now it is the Swansea.com Stadium and has been the home of Swansea City since 2005 when they and the City's rugby team moved in to the purpose built stadium on the site of what had formally been an athletics stadium.

Swansea used to play at The Vetch Field a ground that in parts made the Dell look like Madison Square Garden, although that did have the advantage of being more central with the Liberty Stadium being a good three miles out of town.

Although a new ground, its on the small side, its record attendance of 20,972 was set only in 2016 when Liverpool visited.

Getting There

By Road

From Southampton its quite simple, take the A34 and pick up the M4 just north of Newbury and head West towards Wales, stay on this road, crossing the Severn Bridge and passing Cardiff, at Junction 45 come off the M4 and take the A4067 towards Swansea, the ground is along this road.

The distance is approximately 175 miles from Southampton

Post Code for SAT NAV: SA1 2FA

Parking

There is no parking at the Stadium other than permit holders and street parking in the near vicinity is hard to find and restrictions apply, away fans are encouraged to use the park and ride however, you need to come off at Junction 46 and follow the signs. This costs £10 per car and there are specific buses before & after the game that pick up and drop off right outside the away end, the only downside after is that the buses will wait along with the coaches and be escorted to the motorway.

There is some street parking, but the usual rules apply, near the stadium there are restrictions and the further you are away from the ground the easier it is to find unrestricted and free parking.

By Train

The usual route would be from Southampton up to Bristol via Salisbury and Bath, but on Saturday there will be a replacement bus service between Southampton & Salisbury, so this could take a little bit more time than usual.

Therefore a quicker option might be to take the Cross Country service from Southampton to Manchester and change at Reading and then a direct train to Swansea.

Swansea station is around a two mile walk to the ground from the Station, otherwise there are plenty of buses as well as Taxi's that cost around £8.

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 £2.80 single of £4.50 return per person.

The Away Section

The view from the away section is pretty good as long as you are in the upper section, the concourses are big with the usual variety of food and drink etc, be warned though the Police are very strict and don't put up with any backchat from English invaders, they have the word Heddlu on the back of their jackets which is probably Welsh for headcase, be warned.

Outside of the ground caution should be advised, Swansea like Cardiff do have a bit of a chip on their shoulder about the English and even in these more sanitised times, you always get the odd idiot.

Drinking Eating Etc.

The ground itself is near a big retail park which has a KFC and Pizza Hut etc, or there is Rossi's Chippy dead opposite the ground on the main road, there is also a Harvester pub and a Frankie & Benny's just outside the ground that represent the best bet for away fans wanting a drink, most of the other pubs tend to be home fans only and a bit intimidating for visiting supporters, other than that there is little in the direct vicinity so you may have to go into the ground for food & drink.

Those on the coach may have little option other than going in the ground as the Police often keep those travelling in this manner from leaving the secure compound where the coaches are parked.

For those on the train the options are more varied, turning left out of the station takes you to Wind Street and this seems to be the main entertainment area in the City with a variety of pubs etc.

However turning right out of the station towards the ground also sees some pubs en route to the Stadium, although these vary in standard and friendliness.

Quirky Facts About Swansea

1. Long Beach's finest rapper and mate of David Beckham, Snoop Doggy Dogg, became a co-owner and minority investor in Swansea City in the summer of 2025, and the rapper made his first appearance in the Swansea.com Stadium only a few weeks ago.

Ahead of kick-off, fans were given Snoop Dogg branded towels and asked to make some noise as their famous co-owner emerged, luckily no ones ass had a cap popped in it.

2.Spanish Golfer Sergio Garcia is a Real Madrid supporter, but he was a special guest at the then Liberty Stadium back in 2012. The link between Garcia and Swansea was via former Swansea player Pablo Hernandez, who is married to the golfer’s sister and made 71 appearances for the club between 2012 and 2014.

3.Swansea City's big rivals are Cardiff City and they really don't get on, as with ourselves and Pompey it is not unusual as Tom Jones would say for the fixture to be a Bubble Game.

4. Rugby is the big game in South Wales and so Egg Chasing is probably a bigger sport than football.

5. A little known fact is that the Proclaimers are not actually Scottish, they were actually born and bred in Slough, when they were starting out in the late 1980's they had perfected their image with their glasses and nerdy looks and their signature tune was Sunshine In Slough.

But they couldn't find any words that rhymed with Slough so they walked the 500 miles round trip to Neath just outside Swansea.

But although Sunshine from Neath worked as a song, they couldn't get their tongues around the Welsh dialect, so they walked 500 more miles and ended up in Leith near Edinburgh and things fitted into place.

6. Several films have been set in Swansea, Twin Town was based in the City as was Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and several other films set to the background of the Vietnam war.

7. The football club is nicknamed the Swans although no one can quite work the origins of why.

8. National Waterfront Museum, this is located around the River Tawe, just minutes from the Swansea Marina, the National Waterfront Museum celebrates Wales’ industrial and maritime history. With displays and interactive exhibits, the museum offers an immersive and fascinating experience for visitors away from the matchday buzz.

9. Clyne Gardens is known for its expansive parkland and beautiful botanical displays. With well-maintained walking trails and a variety of seasonal plants and flowers to keep an eye out for, the gardens offer a quieter and more natural alternative to the stadium and city, particularly suiting families or simply those seeking fresh air, scenic surroundings and peace and quiet. It was named after former Saints player Nathaniel Clyne who cut the ribbon and opened the gardens in 2012.

10. Their is a place there called The Mumbles and in the 1970's BBC TV set a Children's programme based on some strange looking creatures with big pointy noses collecting litter on Mumbles Common.

They also became the biggest selling Welsh act since Tom Jones with such songs as Mumbling Free, Mumbling Merry Xmas & a song called "Wombling U.S.A.", written specifically to break into the American market.

They were later overshadowed by a similarly named group from London, dressed strangely whose more heavy rock side appealed to those with little musical taste a little more than The Mumbles did, they later changed their name to Iron Maiden.

Capacity: 21,088 (all seated)

Address: Morfa, Swansea, SA1 2FA

Main Telephone No: 01792 616 600

Fax No: 01792 616 606

Ticket Office: 0844 815 6665

Team Nickname: The Swans or The Jacks

Year Ground Opened: 2005

Pitch Size: 114 x 74 yards

Official Web Site:

www.swanseacity.net

All Photos Via Reuters