In 1985, a team based on the Swansea Former Players Association participated in the third World Golden Oldies Festival in London.  This team continued to play irregular fixtures and it was from the nucleus of this team that Swansea Veterans was formed.

In 1992 we participated in the first European Golden Oldies festival at Denbosch in Holland where we won "The Battered Relic", a trophy awarded to the team who most epitomised the spirit of the event and two years later in the second festival at Heidelberg in Germany, by now doubled in size from its beginnings.  In our early years, apart from the Golden Oldies Festivals, fixtures were virtually confined to home and away matches against Les Cenonbites, a like minded team based at Cenon, Bordeaux, which coincided with the Wales v France international matches.  The trips to Cenon always involved tours of top wine producing chateaux and superb hospitality and many long lasting friendships were forged in this period. On our 1995 visit to Cenon, we participated in an eight team festival

The desire to also tour during the years when we hosted Cenon led us to pastures new and we were the only British team at a festival in Aveyron in 1996 playing matches in Espalion and Rodez.  In April 1997 we returned to Cenon, again for an eight team festival, this being our last visit there to date.  This tour included a night hosted by the celebrated Banda Lous Pegaillons, members of which had previously travelled to Swansea with Les Cenonbites. 
We then entertained in June of the same year Athens based Spartans,
whom we had met at Heidelberg.

We remained in the English speaking world for 1998 and entered the Jersey Tens in October of that year.  In June of 1999, Les Mildioux made their first visit to Swansea and during the Rugby World Cup later that year, Cenon again visited us and included a day in Cardiff for the Wales v Australia quarter final in their tour.  We made our first return visit to Chilly Mazarin home of Les Mildioux on the outskirts of Paris in May 2000 for another weekend of excellent hospitality.  In May of 2001 we headed for Provence – to L'Isle sur la Sorgue near Avignon and it was the turn of Les Farios to uphold the tradition of excellent French hospitality.

March of 2002 saw the second visit to Swansea of Les Mildioux before we took the ferry to Cork in May and a match in Kinsale against The Tripehounds.

In June of 2003 we were again at Chilly Mazarin for a weekend which encompassed watching the French Championship final at the clubhouse of Stade Français, the winning team.  The following year in March 2004 Les Mildioux were back in Swansea for a third time and in April we hosted Les Archiballs Côtes Basques who were supporting Biarritz in a Heineken Cup quarter final.  Our next match was two months later and was a visit to Bordères sur l’Echez near Tarbes, where we were entertained by Los Aspirineos and experienced a trip to the top of the snow covered Pic du Midi at 9,500 feet.  Just 24 hours later we were playing a morning match to avoid more than 40° heat in the June afternoon sun! 

In 2005 we again changed countries and the destination was Prague with Old Boys Praha the opposition at, to date, our easternmost venue.  In November 2007, we hosted Los Aspirineos for a match which was followed by the late Freddie Abraham's “farewell” party when the post match refreshments flowed freely in both senses of the word, courtesy of Freddie’s generosity.  In May of 2008 we visited Bayonne, home of Les Archiballs Côtes Basques and played in a festival at Bidart which was followed by the chance to attend the Bayonne v Castres Top 14 match.  The planned tour to visit Les Potes au Feu at St. Savin in 2009 did not take place and we are looking towards eastern Europe for our destination for 2010.

Apart from the tours and incoming overseas teams recorded above we have tried where possible to play against home based teams each season although these fixtures are not always readily available and we welcome any contact regarding potential matches. Also each season, our players participate in the Bernie Hullin Veteran’s Tens in May.