Swansea City to honour Mel Nurse with lounge re-furbishment

Swansea City will honour one of the most important figures in the club’s history by re-furbishing and re-naming the Riverside Lounge, to the Mel Nurse Bar in the Swansea.com Stadium’s East Stand for the 2024-25 season.

The club, with support from the Former Players’ Association and the Supporters’ Trust, have been keen to have a permanent place at the club’s home that recognises Mel’s outstanding contribution to Swansea City.

Mel has been a crucial figure for the Swans on numerous occasions and in many different capacities across his life.

It is no wonder he is often simply known as ‘Mr Swansea City’, and it is fitting that – as we seek to do more to highlight the history and heritage of our great club – Mel is among those to be recognised.

Representing the club as a player, the former defender – who hailed from Alice Street in Cwmbwrla -  made over 250 appearances across two spells with the Swans totalling 10 years, and also won 12 caps for Wales between 1960 and 1961.

After hanging up his boots, he would later return to the club as a director and – during great upheaval at the turn of the millennium – he would, not once, but twice, step in to help save the club and safeguard it from financial disaster.

Without his intervention, the near two-decades of success that followed may never have come to pass.

He is, unquestionably, one of the most important figures in our history and a true Jack.

The renaming of the Riverside Lounge is a nod to the old Mel Nurse Bar, which was situated by the North Bank at the club’s former Vetch Field home, with the sign for the renamed venue modelled on the original.

Work is continuing with some of our club partners on redesigning and refurbishing the space, and we will share images of this once it has been completed.