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“The Swans at the 1958 FIFA World Cup”
Earlier this month the Trust successfully hosted its latest series of Swans heritage talks superbly delivered by Trust Ambassador and award- winning author David Brayley.
These talks, supported with a COAST (Creating Opportunities Across Swansea Together) grant from Swansea Council, were free to attend and aimed at improving well-being for those aged 50+ who reside in Swansea.
The talks focused on the incredible impact Swansea-born players had on Wales best ever World Cup performance.
The talks were held at the following locations:
• The Cwtch, Swansea Stadium on Tuesday 4th February
• Victoria Hall, Mumbles on Tuesday 11th February; and
• Manselton Community Centre on Wednesday 19th February
All talks were fully booked up with well over 80 people attending across the three venues.
They were all completely free to attend and refreshments were donated by the Trust with grateful collections of over £120 at the talks to be forwarded to our charity partner this year – Faith in Families.
All talks were superbly researched and presented once again by David Brayley and warmly received by those who attended. Such positive feedback comes as no surprise as these are more than talks; they are interactive, immersive events with images, video clips and the player’s own stories transporting those in attendance back in time.
Attendees were able to relive the experiences of the greatest and best of Swansea footballers through the 1950s culminating in the World Cup. It left everyone astonished and frustrated at the incompetence and prejudices of the Welsh FA Committee of the time.
With the benefit of hindsight their decision making which included excluding three of the best Welsh players from the squad named for Sweden and actually leaving nearly a third of the 22-man squad back in the UK so more Welsh FA committee members could travel seems ludicrous. Wales had some of the best players in the world at that time – all from Swansea – and could potentially have made it all the way to the final.
Suggestions were invited by David for possible future heritage talks with the most common again being: other decades of the Swans; the Toshack years; the rise to the Premier League: and the Premier League years. A few new suggestions included the Swans FA Cup run of 1964 and the influence of foreign players who have played for the Swans.
David said “‘I’ve been absolutely delighted how these talks have been received, both in terms of attendance and from feedback received on the day. It’s clear from the conversations in the room after each talk, that there is a great appetite for the story of our club’s heritage to be told and that’s really exciting to hear and it’s equally exciting to know that there’s a clear demand in the future for the stories of other eras to be re-told at some point. My grateful thanks goes to all who attended.’
We are once again extremely grateful to David Brayley and also to Trust Supporter Director Paul Meller who arranged all of the talks.
Paul commented afterwards “A true fan of a football club not only supports the team in the present but also appreciates and understands its history, honouring and respecting the journey that shaped it. There is so much that can and should be shared to supporters and it’s easy to fall into the trap many modern clubs make of overlooking the early history of its football club in pursuit of global branding.
He added “The club’s roots as Swansea Town and the players it produced provides perspective on how football was once purely about the love of the game and local identity. A reminder that local heritage and footballing tradition go hand in glove with league success and financial gains.
“The regular rollercoaster rise and fall and rebirth of our club through history is an inspiration for aspiring young players, fans and the club’s current leadership. With future talks already being planned, every effort should be made to encourage those from across every organisation who represent the club to attend to gain a true insight into the importance of our proud heritage so that this can be shared as widely as possible to everyone who supports this amazing club of ours”
The Trust will now discuss with David Brayley what we can look to prepare and arrange for our members and supporters later in the year and we’ll provide more details in due course.
If anyone would like to get involved in these talks or the range of other heritage projects the Trust are undertaking, please get in touch with us at supporters@swanstrust.co.uk
Swansea City Supporters’ Trust
25th February 2025
“Join the Trust”
The post Latest Swans Heritage Talks a Success appeared first on Swansea City Supporters' Trust.
Continue reading...
Earlier this month the Trust successfully hosted its latest series of Swans heritage talks superbly delivered by Trust Ambassador and award- winning author David Brayley.
These talks, supported with a COAST (Creating Opportunities Across Swansea Together) grant from Swansea Council, were free to attend and aimed at improving well-being for those aged 50+ who reside in Swansea.
The talks focused on the incredible impact Swansea-born players had on Wales best ever World Cup performance.
The talks were held at the following locations:
• The Cwtch, Swansea Stadium on Tuesday 4th February
• Victoria Hall, Mumbles on Tuesday 11th February; and
• Manselton Community Centre on Wednesday 19th February
All talks were fully booked up with well over 80 people attending across the three venues.
They were all completely free to attend and refreshments were donated by the Trust with grateful collections of over £120 at the talks to be forwarded to our charity partner this year – Faith in Families.
All talks were superbly researched and presented once again by David Brayley and warmly received by those who attended. Such positive feedback comes as no surprise as these are more than talks; they are interactive, immersive events with images, video clips and the player’s own stories transporting those in attendance back in time.
Attendees were able to relive the experiences of the greatest and best of Swansea footballers through the 1950s culminating in the World Cup. It left everyone astonished and frustrated at the incompetence and prejudices of the Welsh FA Committee of the time.
With the benefit of hindsight their decision making which included excluding three of the best Welsh players from the squad named for Sweden and actually leaving nearly a third of the 22-man squad back in the UK so more Welsh FA committee members could travel seems ludicrous. Wales had some of the best players in the world at that time – all from Swansea – and could potentially have made it all the way to the final.
Suggestions were invited by David for possible future heritage talks with the most common again being: other decades of the Swans; the Toshack years; the rise to the Premier League: and the Premier League years. A few new suggestions included the Swans FA Cup run of 1964 and the influence of foreign players who have played for the Swans.
David said “‘I’ve been absolutely delighted how these talks have been received, both in terms of attendance and from feedback received on the day. It’s clear from the conversations in the room after each talk, that there is a great appetite for the story of our club’s heritage to be told and that’s really exciting to hear and it’s equally exciting to know that there’s a clear demand in the future for the stories of other eras to be re-told at some point. My grateful thanks goes to all who attended.’
We are once again extremely grateful to David Brayley and also to Trust Supporter Director Paul Meller who arranged all of the talks.
Paul commented afterwards “A true fan of a football club not only supports the team in the present but also appreciates and understands its history, honouring and respecting the journey that shaped it. There is so much that can and should be shared to supporters and it’s easy to fall into the trap many modern clubs make of overlooking the early history of its football club in pursuit of global branding.
He added “The club’s roots as Swansea Town and the players it produced provides perspective on how football was once purely about the love of the game and local identity. A reminder that local heritage and footballing tradition go hand in glove with league success and financial gains.
“The regular rollercoaster rise and fall and rebirth of our club through history is an inspiration for aspiring young players, fans and the club’s current leadership. With future talks already being planned, every effort should be made to encourage those from across every organisation who represent the club to attend to gain a true insight into the importance of our proud heritage so that this can be shared as widely as possible to everyone who supports this amazing club of ours”
The Trust will now discuss with David Brayley what we can look to prepare and arrange for our members and supporters later in the year and we’ll provide more details in due course.
If anyone would like to get involved in these talks or the range of other heritage projects the Trust are undertaking, please get in touch with us at supporters@swanstrust.co.uk
Swansea City Supporters’ Trust
25th February 2025
“Join the Trust”
The post Latest Swans Heritage Talks a Success appeared first on Swansea City Supporters' Trust.
Continue reading...
