UK Stadiums: Hillsborough, Sheffield, Yorkshire
Hillsborough in the Owlerton area of Sheffield in Yorkshire is the home ground of Sheffield Wednesday FC. The ground opened in 1899 making it among the oldest stadiums in the country. Subsequently Hillsborough has become one of the most iconic football grounds in England staging numerous FA Cup semifinals, European games and internationals including three Group games and a Quarter Final during the 1966 World Cup. The stadium has undergone numerous expansions and renovations over the years.
Club & Stadium History
Founded in 1867 as a spin-off from The Wednesday Cricket Club, which had been established in 1820, the club was originally known as The Wednesday Football Club until 1929. Sheffield Wednesday is, thus, one of the oldest football clubs still in existence worldwide and holds the distinction of being the second-oldest professional football club in England after Notts County.
Nicknamed 'The Owls,' Sheffield Wednesday has won four league titles (1902-03, 1903-04, 1928-29, 1929-30), three FA Cups (1895-96, 1906-07, 1934-35), one League Cup (1990-91), and one FA Community Shield. Wednesday have also been runners up three times in the FA Cup (1889-90, 1965-66, 1992-93) and once in the League Cup the year after their triumph in 1991 when they lost in the 1992-93 League Cup final to Arsenal.
The club has also participated in UEFA competitions four times, with their best performance coming in 1963 when they reached the quarter-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In 1991, Wednesday triumphed 1-0 over Manchester United in the Football League Cup final, despite being a second-tier team at the time. As of 2025, they remain the last club to win a major English football trophy while playing outside the top flight.
Presently Wednesday compete in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They play in blue and white vertical striped shirts and black shorts.
Capacity & Stands
The ground has a capacity of 34,835. There are five stands altogether. These are the Grandstand, the South Stand, the (Spion) Kop, the North Stand and the West Stand.
The two-tier West Stand at the Leppings Lane End is for visiting supporters with a capacity of 4,000.
The South Stand serves as the stadium's main stand, featuring the main reception, directors' box, private executive boxes, and hospitality suites. It also houses the dugouts and the players' tunnel. Located on the tier above the South Stand, the Grandstand is home to Hillsborough's official Family Area. This elevated seating section provides an excellent view of the pitch.
Located behind the goal on the Penistone Road side, the Spion Kop is the largest stand at Hillsborough, with over 11,000 seats. For generations, this area has been regarded as an iconic vantage point for Wednesday supporters. Blackpool, Sheffield United, famously Liverpool, Preston North End and Birmingham City are amongst clubs to have stands with the same name.
The North Stand stretches along the full length of the pitch and was the first cantilever structure of its kind in the country. It also houses the Disabled Enclosure, providing 54 wheelchair spaces and seating for up to 360 ambulant disabled supporters.
The playing surface is hybrid grass. The ground once had pylon-style floodlights first added in 1955 for a testimonial game for Wednesday legend Derek Dooley. The club later upgraded its lighting system in the 1990s and installed new LED floodlights in 2022.
Hillsborough Disaster
The Hillsborough disaster occurred on April 15, 1989, during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium. A crowd crush in the standing pens of the Leppings Lane end resulted in the tragic deaths of 96 Liverpool fans (one fan, Andrew Devine, died later of his injuries in 2021) and hundreds more injured. The disaster was caused by overcrowding in the pens due to poor crowd management, leading to a catastrophic loss of life. It remains one of the darkest moments in British football history and led to widespread changes in stadium safety, including the introduction of all-seater stadiums in the top divisions following the Taylor Report of 1990. The victims' families fought for justice for decades, culminating in the 2016 inquest verdict that ruled the deaths as unlawful killings.
Famous Players & Managers
Scotland's Andrew Wilson has the most appearances for the club over 500 between 1900 and 1920. Wilson is also the Owls' record goal scorer with 217. In the late 1940s and early 1950s Derek Dooley scored 63 goals in 63 games for the blue and whites.
Strikers David Hirst and Trevor Francis both wore the blue and white stripes with distinction as did midfielders Carlton Palmer, John Sheridan, Gary Megson and winger Chris Waddle in the 1990s. Much loved defenders of the more modern era include Nigel Pearson, Mel Sterland and Des Walker.
Keeper Ron Springett was back up to Gordon Banks at the 1966 World Cup and finally got a medal 40 years later.
Foreign players remembered with affection at Hillsborough include classy, Swedish right back Roland Nilsson and the Italian duo of Benito Carbone (1996-1999) and Paolo di Canio (1997-1999).
Wednesday have had some well-known managers over the years, too. Jack Charlton, Howard Wilkinson, Ron Atkinson (in two spells), Trevor Francis, David Pleat, Paul Jewell, Gary Megson, Carlos Carvalhal, Steve Bruce, Garry Monk, Tony Pulis and currently Henrik Pedersen have spent time in The Owls' dugout.
Miscellaneous
The Owls' main mascots are Ozzie and Barney Owl. The record attendance at Hillsborough is 72,841 v Manchester City in 1934 for an FA Cup quarter-final match. Wednesday's nickname comes from the Owlerton district where the club is based.
Access - Getting There
The ground is located in the northwest of Sheffield about 3 miles (5 km) from the city center. Take a Sheffield Supertram to the Leppings Lane stop and then walk.
Sheffield Station is a combined railway station and tram stop. It is the main point of access for visitors to this historic steel-manufacturing city.
There are trains to Huddersfield Station, Leeds, York Station in York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow Central & Aberdeen.
The station also has connections to Manchester Piccadilly in Manchester via New Mills Central, London St Pancras, Derby, Norwich and Nottingham as well as Birmingham, Reading, Bristol, Plymouth and Penzance.
In addition, there are rail departures to Liverpool Lime Street in Liverpool via Stockport Station in Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly.
National Express buses depart from Sheffield Interchange at Pond Square, services depart from stands E1/E2.
Address: 76 Penistone Road North, Sheffield S6 1SW, UK
Nearby Hotels
Some recommended places to stay in Sheffield include the four-star Novotel Sheffield Centre close to Sheffield Station and the Mercure Sheffield St Paul's Hotel & Spa. Not too far from the ground is the excellent Mercure Sheffield Kenwood Hall & Spa with a pool, fitness center and restaurant.
See here for a listing of accommodation in Sheffield to suit all budgets.
More UK Stadiums
Kirklees Stadium (John Smith's Stadium)
Gallery
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