Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday’s iconic and historically significant stadium

The home of Sheffield Wednesday since 1899, the ground has come a long way since those early days. 


It has hosted World Cup games – West Germany beat Uruguay 4-0 in the 1966 quarter-finals at S6 – while 1996 saw Hillsborough host three European Championship matches.

Hillsborough has hosted 28 FA Cup semi-finals, including one which changed the face of English football.

On April 15 1989, during a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, the ground was the scene of the worst tragedy in English sporting history, as 96 fans were crushed to death.

As a consequence, all-seater stadia became the norm in England, as the fences came down.

But for pure footballing memories, Hillsborough boasts a rich history.

A certain Pele graced the pitch, with his club Santos, back in the Seventies, while two League Cup final replays have been held at the Owls’ home – the last being Leicester City versus Middlesbrough in 1997.

The record attendance is 72,841 for an FA Cup tie against Manchester City in 1934, while the stadium holds the record for the biggest crowd for a third division match, when 49,309 fans watched the Steel City derby in 1979. Wednesday beat city rivals United 4-0.

In the Eighties and Nineties, the Owls dined at football’s top table, with the likes of Manchester United regular visitors, and even though being deprived of top-flight football for the last 20 years, Hillsborough remains one of English football’s iconic arenas.

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