For the first time in 20 years, Swansea City's home will truly belong to them. The football club is set to take full ownership of the Swansea.come Stadium after Swansea Council agreed to sell the venue on Thursday.
The stadium opened in 2005 as the Liberty Stadium, built with £27 million of public money. At the time, it housed both Swansea City and the Ospreys rugby team. Rugby left in 2025, leaving the football club as sole occupants of the ground they have rented and operated for years.
"This is a highly significant moment for Swansea City," said chief executive Tom Gorringe. "We move towards taking outright ownership of the ground."
The deal ends more than a decade of shared arrangement. The club took operational control in 2018 but never owned the asset. Council leader Rob Stewart said the sale price would exceed fair market value, with extra payments due if the team wins promotion to the Premier League. The council will also keep some ticket and hospitality benefits.
Stewart believes the sale makes sense for taxpayers. "The council does not normally like to give up its assets," he said, "but on balance, it was the right thing to do." He added that the authority would still control planning for development around the stadium.
The club's American owners — who include Real Madrid star Luka Modric and rapper Snoop Dogg — want to push Swansea back into the Premier League, where the team played from 2011 to 2018. Stewart said owning the stadium gives investors more confidence to spend. "It's very difficult for them to do that if they're not in control of the asset," he explained.
Opposition leader Chris Holley raised questions about how the sale would help the team on the pitch and wondered if the club might borrow against the stadium later. "This is a substantial asset belonging to the council and the people of Swansea," Holley said. "I think we need an explanation."
Swansea City called the purchase "a move that will safeguard the future of the club." The club said owning the stadium creates better chances to earn money and attract investors — things harder to do while paying rent on someone else's building. The sale is expected to complete later this year.