Swansea City: Swansea are a bigger team than Cardiff!

Last week I read plenty of Twitter arguments that focused on the age-old argument of which is the bigger club: Swansea City or Cardiff City.

It seems a Cardiff-based journalist sparked the conversation, claiming Cardiff was one of the biggest clubs in British football. Or at least much, much bigger than Swansea City at least.

Meh. I don’t think so.

If we’re looking at it historically and basing it on position in the league pyramid, then Cardiff admittedly have a better record, until about 40 years ago. They spent much of the 1920s and 1950s in the First Division, whereas Swansea only reached the top flight for the first time in 1981. Since the seventies, the two teams have been much closer.

If we’re looking at it historically in terms of trophies, then it’s fair to say that neither club has really set the world on fire. Both have had their fair share of Welsh Cup victories (which isn’t really saying much) and both have won various league titles. Cardiff won an FA Cup in 1927. Since then… they haven’t. Swansea’s first major trophy came with the League Cup victory in 2013.

Shopping-wise, Cardiff have a John Lewis, a Hotel Chocolat, and a Spud-U-Like. Swansea… doesn’t.

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Bigger in the here and now…

But we aren’t talking about tables, honours or shopping. We’re talking about which is the bigger club. Which club demands the more attention?

And that is currently Swansea.

Sure, Cardiff is the capital city and has a bigger catchment area for fans, but having supporters from Bridgend and Newport makes little difference when you consider Swansea’s global appeal.

Thanks to their seven uninterrupted seasons in the Premier League, Swansea City have a much bigger following in Premier League-obsessed countries such as America, while their support in Asia has been well-documented.

In terms of the here and now, being a constant force in the Premier League is a huge thing in modern football.

With it comes gargantuan TV audiences, revenue, and social media impact. Even a film, shown everywhere from Singapore to New York. As sore a point as ‘Jack to a King’ may be at the moment, I don’t remember Cardiff having any screenings of their rags to riches film…

Ultimately it’s very tight, but even if Cardiff City achieve promotion to the top flight next year (and it’s looking likely), it’s not going to suddenly change things. Because of the last decade, Swansea will remain the bigger club for some time.

Who knows what the future holds. Maybe in a decade, Swansea will be back in League Two and Cardiff will have won the Premier League twice. Then we can probably reassess.

But, for now – considering some people are so desperate to compare the two clubs – it’s no contest that Swansea are currently the bigger of the two. Swans fans, neutrals and even sensible Cardiff fans can admit that.