Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is a football stadium in Sheffield, England. It has been the home of Sheffield Wednesday since opening in 1899.
Aerial view of the stadium | |
| Full name | Hillsborough Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Owlerton Stadium (until 1914) |
| Location | Owlerton, Sheffield, S6 1SW |
| Coordinates | 53°24′41″N 1°30′2″W |
| Public transit | Leppings Lane |
| Owner | Dejphon Chansiri |
| Capacity | 39,732 (temporarily reduced to 34,854 on safety grounds) |
| Record attendance | 72,841 v Manchester City (17 February 1934; FA Cup Quarter-Final) |
| Field size | 116 x 75 yards (approx. 106 x 69 m) |
| Surface | Desso GrassMaster |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1899 |
| Opened | 2 September 1899 |
| Tenants | |
| Sheffield Wednesday (1899–present) | |
The ground has been substantially re-developed, with new stands on each side and the original South Stand re-built for UEFA Euro 1996. It has two large two-tiered stands and two large single-tiered stands, all of which are covered. All four stands are of a similar capacity, with the South Stand being the largest and the West Stand (usually housing the away supporters) being the smallest.
The ground was the scene of the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April 1989, in which 97 Liverpool fans were crushed to death at an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. The subsequent Taylor Report into the disaster led to a series of long-overdue safety improvements at the ground and other large stadiums around the country, including the requirement for clubs in the top two divisions in England to have all-seater stadiums and the withdrawal of perimeter fencing around the pitch; the latter had only been installed a few years prior to the disaster.
The club's plans to renovate the stadium and expand the capacity to 44,825 have been approved by Sheffield City Council with the aim of hosting World Cup matches. The playing surface was upgraded in 2015 to the Desso GrassMaster system, including a complete replacement of the under-soil heating and drainage systems, while the scoreboard was replaced by a modern 'big screen' prior to the 2015–16 season. The stadium previously played host to World Cup and European Championship football in 1966 and 1996, respectively.
The stadium's capacity has currently been temporarily reduced to 34,854 on safety grounds, although work is continuing to restore its maximum capacity.