Key Information about Hillsborough Stadium

Hillsborough has been the home of Yorkshire located football club Sheffield Wednesday since it opened back in 1899.

On 15 April 1989, the ground was the unfortunate scene of the Hillsborough Stadium disaster where 96 Liverpool fans tragically passed away by a fatal human crush as a result of overcrowding in the central pends of the Lepping Lane stand allocated to the Reds.

The stadium now has an all-seated capacity of almost 40,000; however, this has temporarily been reduced to just under 35,000 on safety grounds. Hillsborough comprises four stands; the North Stand, Leppings Lane End (West Stand), the South Stand, and the Spion Kop.

A history of Hillsborough Stadium

The Owls were informed during the 1898-99 season that their home ground of Olive Grove would be needed for railway expansions, therefore they had to find a new ground in time for the following season. After months of searching, James Willis Dixon of Hillsborough House, offered a 10-acre site at Owlerton to the football club. This offer was accepted by the Owls, and they purchased the land for £5,000.

The first match to be played on the ground was on 2 September 1899 against Chesterfield which Wednesday went on to win 5-1. The ground was known as the Owlerton Stadium until 1914, when it was re-named Hillsborough Stadium after the ground's history and improvements. The stadium came with plenty of early success for the Owls as they won their first-ever league titles in 1902-03 and 1903-04, in addition to a second FA Cup in 1907.

After the World Wars, Hillsborough was notably one of the top stadiums in the country having hosted a total of 27 FA Cup semi-finals, as well as it being selected as one of the venues for the Football World Cup in 1966 where it hosted many matches including a quarterfinal, Hillsborough Stadium also hosted its first national cup final in 1977 when Everton took on Aston Villa in the Football League Cup final replay.

The very sad Hillsborough Stadium disaster was the worst tragedy in English sporting history. A fatal human crush during an FA Cup semi-final match against Liverpool in April 1989 where 96 fans passed away as a result of overcrowding in the central pens of the Lepping Lane stand allocated to Liverpool supporters. It was later revealed that the Leppings Lane End of the ground did not hold a valid safety certificate, and as a result of the tragedy emerged the Taylor Report in 1990 which made it compulsory for all teams in the first two divisions to have all-seater stadiums.

Moving on from such tragedy, Sheffield Wednesday won promotion back up to Division One in 1990-91, and subsequently found themselves as founder members of the inaugural Premier League in 1992. In just their first season back in the top flight of English football, they finished seventh and managed to reach the second round of the UEFA Cup, playing a club-record four games in Europe.

Tickets to Watch Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough Stadium

Adult tickets at Hillsborough range from £20-42, and season tickets can be purchased for £455. Under-11 season tickets work out to be priced at just £1 per game. Concession season tickets start at £255.

https://www.swfc.co.uk/ - Official website of Sheffield Wednesday

https://www.swfc.co.uk/tickets/match-ticket-prices/ - Sheffield Wednesday Ticket Office