On 15 April 1989, 97 Liverpool supporters lost their lives as a result of a crush at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. It is the worst disaster in British sporting history, and its aftermath changed the way football grounds across the country were built and managed.
A decade of danger
By the 1980s, many British football grounds were old, overcrowded and poorly maintained. Supporters stood on packed terraces, often behind high metal fences built to prevent pitch invasions. In 1985 alone, 56 people died in a fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade, and 39 people died at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels before the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. After Heysel, English clubs were banned from European competition for five years.
The day of the semi-final
Hillsborough, home of Sheffield Wednesday, was chosen as the neutral venue for the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Liverpool supporters were allocated the Leppings Lane end. As kick-off approached, a large crowd built up outside the narrow turnstiles. To relieve the pressure, police ordered an exit gate to be opened, and a great many people entered through a tunnel that led straight into the two already overcrowded central pens behind the goal.
Those at the front were crushed against the fences. The match was stopped after six minutes. Supporters tore down advertising hoardings to use as makeshift stretchers and tried desperately to help the injured, while the emergency response was badly inadequate.
The Taylor Report
The government asked Lord Justice Taylor to investigate. His final report, published in January 1990, identified the main cause as a failure of police control, and found that poor stadium design, overcrowding and inadequate safety certification had all played a part. Among its recommendations, the best known was that grounds in the top divisions should become all-seater stadiums.
Over the following years, British football was physically rebuilt. Terraces were replaced with seats, perimeter fences came down and new stadiums were built. Together with the money that arrived with the Premier League, these changes created the modern grounds fans know today.
The fight for justice
For many years, Liverpool supporters were falsely blamed for the disaster in parts of the media and by some officials. The families of those who died, and the survivors, campaigned for decades for the truth. In 2012 the Hillsborough Independent Panel published evidence that exposed a cover-up, and in 2016 new inquests concluded that the victims had been unlawfully killed and that the behaviour of supporters had not contributed to the disaster.
Remembering the 97
A memorial at Anfield lists the names of all who died, and the anniversary is marked every year. The dignity and determination of the families remain one of the most powerful stories in British public life — and every safe seat in a British stadium today is, in part, their legacy.