A Lessons Learned from the United Kingdom

Lessons learned from the United Kingdom – the Hillsborough disaster

The Hillsborough disaster was the worst stadium disaster in English football history, resulting in the deaths of 96 people.

On April 15, 1989, the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool FC and NottinghamForest at the Hillsborough football stadium was abandoned 6min into the game due to a human stampede in the Leppings Lane end of the stadium holding Liverpool fans.

Pre-match

All opposing fans were segregated in the stadium. The police assigned NottinghamForest fans to the Spoin Kop end of the stadium with a capacity of 21,000. The Liverpool supporters were assigned to the Leppings Lane end of the stadium with a capacity of 14,600, even though Liverpool FC would have a larger supporter group than NottinghamForest. Kick-off was scheduled for 3:00pm. Fans were encouraged to be in their seats 15min prior to kick-off and those without tickets were advised not to attend.

Between 2:30pm and 2:40pm, there was a build-up of fans in the small area outside the turnstile entrance to the Leppings Lane end. The Leppings Lane terrace has three separate areas. The central area filled up quickly while the side areas remained relatively empty. A bottleneck developed outside the stands.

Kick-off

The match kicked-off and fans started to push. An estimated 5000 fans were trying to get through the turnstiles. To prevent crushing outside the stadium, the police opened a series of gates (intended as exits) which did not have turnstiles. This caused a rush of thousands of fans through the gates and into the central area at the Leppings Lane end. In 5min 2000 fans pass through. The majority make their way to the central areas. This caused a huge crush at the front of the terrace where fans were pressed against the fencing (that acted as a barrier between the spectators and football pitch) by the crowd behind them. The fans entering were unaware of the problems at the fencing. Normally, police or stewards would stand at the entrance of the central area to redirect fans to the side areas if capacity was reached. However, they were not present at those locations on the day of the match.

At 3:06pm the referee was advised by police to stop the match as fans tried to climb the fence to escape the crush. A small gate in the fencing was opened for some fans to escape as others were pulled to safety by fellow fans in the stand directly above the Leppings Lane terrace. Fans were packed so tightly in the central area that many died standing up of compressive asphyxia. The fence finally broke under pressure from the fans. The pitch filled with people. The police, stewards, and emergency medical services were overwhelmed. Fans attempted to help the injured and advertising billboards were utilized as makeshift stretchers.

The aftermath

Ninety-six people died and over 400 received hospital treatment. Following the disaster, Lord Justice Taylor was appointed to conduct an inquiry. An interim report on the events of the day and conclusions stated ‘the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control.’ A final report known as the ‘Taylor Report’ was published that made general recommendations for football ground safety. This report recommended that major stadiums be converted to all-seated venues and perimeter fencing be outlawed.

Key issues

Police control

After the disaster attention was focused on the decision to open secondary gates. It was also suggested that match kick-off could have been delayed which had occurred at other venues and matches. Furthermore, there was no police or steward presence to direct fans away from capacity-filled areas.

Stadium design

The Hillsborough stadium was criticized for the low number of turnstiles at the Leppings Lane entrance. It was estimated to have taken until 3:40pm to get all ticket holders into the Leppings Lane end. The official capacity of the central areas at the Leppings Lane terrace was 2000; however, the Health and Safety Executive later determined that it should have been 1600 as the crush barriers did not conform to the ‘Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds’ standards. It is estimated that over 3000 people were in the areas after kick-off; this overcrowding caused the fatal crush.

-Alcohol consumption: The consumption of alcohol by fans before the game may have aggravated the situation.

-Ticketing: The possibility of fans attempting to gain entry without tickets or forged tickets could have aggravated the situation.

Sources: Hillsborough Timeline to Disaster. April 3, 2009. BBC.co.uk. Available from: < (accessed 23.06.09.).

The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster. August 1989. Interim Report. Inquiry by the Rt Hon Lord Justice Taylor.