ABSTRACT
On a sunny day on 15th April 1989, thousands of soccer fans made their way to the Football Association (FA) Cup semi-final at Hillsborough football ground in Sheffield, England. The FA Cup semi-final is held at a neutral ground, where both sets of fans Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forest FC would be away from home. Hillsborough is the home ground of Sheffield Wednesday FC. It is an old ground, built in 1965, with terraces for 10,100 people to stand at the Leppings Lane end of the ground, accessed by 7 turnstiles (see Appendix 8). Hillsborough was highly regarded as a soccer venue:
As you look round Hillsborough today you will appreciate why it has been regarded for so long as the perfect venue for all kinds of important matches (Mr McGee, Chairman of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, statement in the match programme, 15th April 1989).
