Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Leppings Lane end has capacity reduced from 4,700 to 3,700

Hillsborough’s Leppings Lane winger will have his capacity reduced from 4,700 to 3,700 following a review in an unsafe ‘crush’ during Sheffield Wednesday’s FA Cup third round tie with Newcastle in January.

Newcastle supporters reported feeling unsafe in the very final in which 97 Liverpool fans were killed during their 1989 FA Cup semi-final clash with Nottingham Forest.

A review into the safety of the finale was launched, and Sheffield City Council on Monday revealed its findings in a extensive minutes of the meeting.

The crucial decision that came out of the meeting is regarding the capacity of the west end of the land, which has been reduced by 1,000.

“Regarding the reduction in capacity, we can report that: The Upper West Stand now has a reduced capacity of 2,400 (versus 3,200 as a result of the recent review) for a stand with a standby capacity of 4,194,” it said. the advice.

“Lower West Stand now has an even further reduced capacity of 1,300 (down from 1,500 as a result of the recent revision) for a stand with a waiting capacity of 2,366.”

Newcastle supporters who felt unsafe on the ground revealed that a combination of feeling too crowded and the stewards pointing others in the wrong direction had led to a squeeze on the ground, both on the concourse and in both stands.

Findings in the report indicate that none of the levels exceeded capacity, while the number of administrators was at an appropriate level. The report adds that the council contacted the Newcastle Supporters Trust, who provided accounts, 50 of which were used to arrive at the report’s final findings.

One Twitter user, Barry, wrote at the time of his visiting end experience: “I was in the middle of the lower tier and ridiculously packed 10 minutes before kick off. The stairwell was packed with fans and when we arrived we asked the commissars to point us in the right direction – one told us to go wherever we want!

Another fan said: ‘Awful. We were squashed so we had to remove the blue covers (from the seats) to create our own area for about 100 people.

Upstairs marshals with empty seats were turning away fans with valid tickets. A disaster.’

One follower added: ‘Even the upper level lobby was cramped. The stairs are too narrow and the marshals direct fans to the wrong area creating more bottlenecks. This shouldn’t be happening.

Another said: ‘It was absolute chaos. The lower level is the worst I have ever seen, people had to pick up their children because it was so crowded.

The stand already has significant reductions in capacity, with a network covering just a few hundred seats. While 97 seats always remain unsold in memory of the Liverpool supporters who died on that fateful day in the spring of 1989.

Hillsborough marked a watershed moment for British football, prompting the Taylor Report which, among other recommendations, called for all-seater stadiums.

Several cover-ups were made in the years after the disaster, with the national body of police chiefs only issuing an apology earlier this year for various missteps by those in positions of authority.

Martin Hewitt, president of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), apologized at the release of a report that promised to learn lessons from the scandal of more than three decades.

Andy Marsh, the executive director of the College of Policing, the body that sets standards for police, also apologized, saying: “Police have sorely failed those afflicted by the Hillsborough disaster for many years and we regret that the service has failed them. understood so well.” mistaken.

Police failures were the main cause of the tragedy and have continued to ruin the lives of family members ever since. When leadership was most needed, the bereaved were often treated callously and the response lacked coordination and oversight.’