Vetch Field

[7][8] In 1960, local boy Brian Curvis beat the Australian boxer George Barnes at the Vetch to win the Commonwealth (British Empire) Welterweight title.

The last game of football to be held at the Vetch was the 2005 FAW Premier Cup final, which saw Swansea beat Wrexham 2–1.

[12] Named due to the vetch (a type of legume – not a cabbage as popularly misbelieved in most of south Wales) that was grown on its surface at the time,[citation needed] the site was owned by Swansea Gaslight Company in 1912, when a professional football team was formed in the town.

Originally, the surface was made of compacted coal cinder and players had to wear knee pads for the first season of football there.

It was originally a double-decker stand, with seating above the remaining terrace, however the upper tier was first closed and then built over during the late 1980s, and early 1990s amid growing safety concerns.

Originally just a mound of earth with some concrete and railway sleepers on top of it, the 'big bank' grew to be the largest area of the ground.

The number it could safely hold was increased towards the end of its life, ensuring that the North Bank was filled to capacity for the majority of matches during the final season.

The East Terrace was originally another mound of earth with some railway sleepers, and remained so until the late 1970s, when the club began its rise through the divisions.

Due to the refusal of residents of William Street behind the stand it could not be extended further, and financial problems ensured that it was the only part of the ground to be redeveloped, although further developments were initially planned.

Plans were originally made to build a community centre and housing development on the Vetch Field site but had not been put through.

The streets would also be organised into safe but accessible "home zones" designed along communities in the Netherlands where vehicle speeds would be restricted.

It was later confirmed in the South Wales Evening Post that it was in the safe hands of a group of people angered by the council's neglect of such Vetch relics as the clock.

By the beginning of June 2011, with the club promoted to the Premier League and passing what's left of the ground on a victory parade, work has begun on the outside walls of the old stadium.

The highest attendance recorded at the Vetch Field was 32,796 for a fourth Round FA Cup match between Swansea Town and Arsenal FC on 17 February 1968.

An Ordnance Survey map from 1899 showing the 'Vetch Field' site.
The West Terrace
A graph of Swansea City's league attendances at the Vetch Field from 1920 to 2005.