Sheffield Wednesday has been forced to reduce the capacity of Hillsborough Stadium’s away end after a review into complaints of “overcrowding and crushing”.
The review came after their FA Cup tie against Newcastle United on 7 January, with the Newcastle United Supporters Trust raising numerous safety concerns.
Newcastle United Supporters Trust gathered the accounts of 50 Newcastle fans, with many saying they were given incorrect information on where to access their seats and a lack of steward awareness.
Fans felt unsafe inside the ground and concourse, with an overflow of fans down the stairwell. Stewards apparently were turning down fans with valid tickets to empty seats and directing them to the wrong areas creating more congestion.
It is also believed the away fans were sent through the wrong turnstiles.
This incident comes after Hillsborough was the scene of Britain’s worst sporting disaster, in which 97 football supporters lost their lives after a crush in an overcrowded and fenced-in enclosure.
Due to these findings, Sheffield City Council recommended deploying the most experienced stewards to the away end.
Sheffield Wednesday has responded to the council’s recommendations and is considering further reducing the capacity in the Upper West Stand from 3,200 to 2,400 and the Lower West Stand from 1,500 to 1,300.
The club also said staff had initially removed the covers off the incorrect seats, however, this error was rectified 75 minutes before kick-off when there were ‘relatively few supporters in the stadium.’
Liam Dooley, Sheffield Wednesday Chief Operating Officer, said at the time of the review: We welcome the outcome of this review as the welfare of all supporters and everyone inside the stadium is our utmost priority.
“The Newcastle ticket allocation also complied completely with the Safety Certificate.
“While we have full confidence in our matchday operations, we welcome feedback on an ongoing basis as to how we can improve the experience for supporters and listen to any concerns raised as a matter of course.
Writer’s View
Supporter’s safety should be taken with the utmost seriousness, so it is good to see Sheffield Wednesday and the council take action.
By the looks of things, it seemed things were a bit of a mess with stewards directing people wrongly, therefore overcrowding certain areas.
It is strange that this happened even when the club said Newcastle’s ticket allowance was normal, but with a reduced capacity of 1,000, let’s hope this is the last we hear of this kind of incident.
