HILLSBOROUGH

Football matches should be filled with excitement and anticipation; coupled only with tears of joy or comiseration. Yet, as we all know, life doesn't always give us what we want or wish for. In 1989 football's worst nightmare came true, and blanketed itself over Anfield Road and the City of Liverpool.

On 15th April 1989, twenty-five thousand devoted fans arrived in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, to see the 'Reds' in action. Nottingham Forest were to be their opponents in the Semi-Final of the F.A Cup at Sheffield Wednesdays stadium, Hillsborough.

Ninety-four of them died there.

Four days after the horrific scenes a young boy died from his injuries.

Four years later another young man died: unable to recover from a coma.

Hundreds injured and three hundred hospitalised. Thousands traumatised.

In honour and remembrance of the 96 who were prematurely taken from us, a memorial is now part of Anfield Road. The 'Flames' have also been embedded upon the Liverpool F.C crest.

A complete and more thorough account of the events that took place can be found on the links provided below.

In brief, a massive crush ensued at the Liverpool end of the ground - too many people in too small a place! Headline and world news started controversy and much speculation into the cause of the tragedy. The 'Taylor' report inquiry (named after the Lord Justice Taylor) later revealed that the Police were at fault - they had failed to 'control' the sectioning and monitoring of the crowd; opening gates to allow a flood of bodies into the mid-section of the 'Leppings Lane' and subsequently 'gave up' on trying to stem the flow of people. When asked, after the disaster, why the gates were opened; DCS David Duckenfield denied he gave permission to allow his 'Police Officers' to do so, saying the Liverpool fans 'forced it (the gates) down' - he later admitted to his lie and mistake!

Liverpool had played in the same fixture the year before at Hillsborough and informed the F.A of overcrowding and crushing - evidently so - but no action was taken.

Hillsborough changed football in the U.K and later Europe: grounds around the country gradually became 'all-seated' and barriers were banished - perhaps the one and only positive action to come from that day.

Hillsborough Memorial


Hillsborough Family Support Group


Hillsborough Justice Campaign