Hillsborough Stadium

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Hillsborough Stadium
Full name	Hillsborough Stadium
Owners	Sheffield Wednesday
Location	Owlerton, Sheffield, England S6 1SW
Broke ground	1899
Opened	2 September 1899
Tenants	Sheffield Wednesday
Capacity	39,732
Field dimensions	116 x 71 yards

Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England has been the home ground of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. since opening in 1899. It is a 39,732 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the largest club ground in England outside of the Premier League. It is located in the Sheffield suburb of Owlerton.

Although the ground has received little investment since Euro 1996, it is still regarded as "a beautiful ground oozing character." It has two large two-tiered stands and two large single-tiered stands, all of them covered. All four stands are of a similar capacity with the South Stand being the largest and the West stand (used for away fans) the smallest. Only one corner of the ground is filled, between the West and North Stands. This area, known as the North West corner, is uncovered and is only used for visiting supporters when the West Stand's upper and lower tiers are full. On the other corner of the West Stand is a large screen which was installed in 2015.

On 15 April 1989, the ground was the scene of the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death at an FA Cup semi-final. This led to a series of safety improvements at the ground and other stadia around the country, including the requirement for top clubs to have all-seater stadia and the withdrawal of perimeter fencing.

Plans by the club to renovate the stadium and expand capacity to 44,825 have been approved by Sheffield City Council with the aim of hosting World Cup matches. The playing surface has been upgraded to a Desso GrassMaster including a complete replacement of the Under-soil heating and Drainage System. The stadium previously played host to World Cup and European Championship football in 1966 and 1996 respectively.

Hillsborough disaster

Main article: Hillsborough disaster

On 15 April 1989, the ground was the scene of the worst tragedy in English sporting history when 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death in an FA Cup semi-final. Official investigations into the disaster criticised Sheffield Wednesday for not acting upon previous incidents (especially the 1981 FA Cup semi-final) that had shown the potential for crushing at Hillsborough. The Leppings Lane end of the ground did not hold a valid safety certificate; it had not been updated since 1979.

The recommendations of the Taylor Report led to a series of improvements to safety at grounds across the United Kingdom. The terraces at Hillsborough were converted to all seated accommodation over the following four years, and the fences around the pitch were replaced with low safety-barricades to allow incursion onto the playing surface in case of emergency.

External links

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sheffield/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8217000/8217675.stm The History of Hillsborough Stadium – BBC Sheffield
• Hillsborough Stadium Information at Sheffield Wednesday official website
• Hillsborough at Google Maps
• Hillsborough stadium review from thisisfootball.co.uk