Watching the Swans at the Liberty Stadium is the best matchday experience in the Football League- that’s the view of fans across the country.
Results from the official Football League Supporters Survey propelled Swansea City and its iconic stadium to the top of the Championship for matchday experience, views of the pitch, supporter safety, efforts to attract fans and entertainment before games and at half-time.
The club and the stadium similarly scored highly for match atmosphere, stadium cleanliness, stewarding, toilet facilities and communication with supporters. The survey also showed Swans fans felt most valued by their club throughout the course of the Championship season.
Supporters in the survey did highlight problems with the Liberty Stadium PA system but works are now taking place and the equipment will be in top condition for the start of the new season.
The Football League Supporters Survey is an independent report aimed at investigating the thoughts of fans towards their experiences in key areas such as stadium facilities, ticketing and club products. A total of 36,822 supporters took part in the survey across all 72 Football League clubs.
Other survey results include:
- Female fans attending Swans games increased from 16 per cent in 2008 to 23 per cent.
- Fans under 16 increased to five per cent to 11 per cent.
- 50 per cent of fans get their Swans information from the official club website, 29 per cent from unofficial websites and nine per cent from the local newspaper.
- 76 per cent of Swans fans are supporters because it’s their local club, 42 per cent because of parental influence, 34 per cent because of the matchday experience and 25 per cent because of a friend’s influence.
Huw Jenkins, Swansea City Chairman, said: “It just shows how far we’ve come as a club. The survey results prove we’re doing a lot of things right at this football club.
“We have an excellent working relationship with the Stadium and it’s a pleasure to watch Championship football here. While the survey proves our fans enjoy the matchday experience, we’ve also had nothing but praise from away fans and club officials when they visit the Liberty Stadium.
“As a club, we never rest on our laurels and we’ll continue to work hard to improve every aspect of the club- both on and off the field.”
Andrew Davies, General Manager of the Stadium Management Company, said: “We’re pleased that the Liberty Stadium has featured so prominently in the Football League Supporters Survey and that supporters feel so positively about the stadium.
“The results are encouraging but we’re mindful of the areas where we need to improve. We look forward to working with supporters to achieve this over the coming season.”
Cllr Chris Holley, Swansea Council Leader, said: “These awards are fantastic recognition for the Liberty Stadium and Swansea.
“The whole point of the Council building the stadium was to provide first-class sports facilities and to attract leading acts such as Pink, whose recent concert was a massive hit in Swansea.
“The stadium also provides an economic boost for local businesses with restaurants, hotels, bars and taxi firms among those who reap the benefits of having large crowds attending sports and music events in the city.”
