The Hillsborough Football Stadium Disaster, April 15, 1989

On Saturday, April 15, 1989, the worst disaster in English football history occurred in terms of loss of life. In total, 96 men, women, and children died as a result of events on that day, the youngest being just 10 years old. At approximately 3:00 p.m., at the Football Association's (FA's) semifinal match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, football fans died from crush-related injuries, and 766 were injured. This mass fatality event occurred at Hillsborough Football Stadium in Sheffield. South Yorkshire Police were policing the event and already engaged in crowd control, as thousands of fans were expected to attend the stadium as a result of the match. The ground had been used as the venue for the FA Cup semifinal the year before involving the same teams, and the fixture had been played without any significant crowd problems. Due to the high level of staff required, it was necessary to have plain-clothed police officers working in uniform to provide additional staff. On an occasion such as this (with approximately 54,000 spectators expected), the policing operation was complex. In all, some 1,122 police officers were deployed that day - almost 38% of South Yorkshire Police's personnel (Figure 9.1). Included in the mounted section of 34 were officers from Liverpool and Nottingham, who were present to assist with marshaling their own supporters. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club provided 376 stewards, gate staff, and turnstile operators on the day (Taylor, 1989).