Stadium

History of the stadium

Welcome to the home of Sheffield Wednesday, Hillsborough Stadium. The ground is one of the most iconic football stadia in England and has only ever served as the Owls’ permanent ground since 1899.

Sheffield Wednesday moved into Hillsborough as their second permanent stadium following a spell at Olive Grove. The club had previously adopted a number of venues as their base, also including Bramall Lane for major matches, over their earlier years. But they found their home after building Hillsborough.

Highfield originally served as the first stadium in Sheffield Wednesday’s history as a club before the Owls embraced Myrtle Road, Heeley and Hunter’s Bar. Yet it was not until they took residence at Olive Grove in 1887 that the club found a permanent ground. But they had to find a new home 12 years later.

Sheffield Wednesday had to find a new stadium in 1899

Sheffield Wednesday only rented the land on which Olive Grove sat. But plans to expand the railway network in the area forced the Owls to relocate. The club’s hierarchy eventually settled on a 10-acre site in Owlerton after James Willis Dixon offered to sell an area of land where his family’s home was.

Plans were immediately put into place to level out the land which had initially been meadowland. It took heaps of dirt to even out the surface before Sheffield Wednesday would relocate their 2,000-capacity grandstand which had resided at Olive Grove. The Owls also erected another 3,000-capacity stand.

Owing to the stadium’s location, Sheffield Wednesday originally christened their home as Owlerton Stadium but later renamed it as Hillsborough in 1914. The Owls renamed their ground following an array of modifications to the site and also embraced the newly-created parliamentary constituency.

Hillsborough has hosted an array of grand games to date

A host of grand games have also taken place at Hillsborough since it became Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium. It hosted fixtures during the 1966 World Cup, including West Germany’s 4-0 quarter-final win against Uruguay. It has also held 28 FA Cup semi-finals and ties for the 1996 European Championship.

The Football Association chose Hillsborough as an FA Cup semi-final venue for the first time in 1912 for a replay between West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers. The following season also then saw Sheffield Wednesday amass vast incomes that the Owls spent on replacing their Olive Grove stand.

An array of further changes following the end of WWII saw Hillsborough emerge as one of the finest stadiums in England. It thus became one of the more frequent stadiums that The FA chose for the FA Cup’s later stages. But the events of April 15, 1989 would change stadium designs in England forever.

Hillsborough changed stadium designs in England forever

Hillsborough was the scene of the worst tragedy in English sporting history when 96 fans died during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The supporters were crushed to death, leading to the Taylor Report which advised a number of safety improvements to stadiums.

One of which was the move to all-seated stadiums in England, along with the removal of the fences which had surrounded pitches. Sheffield Wednesday also unveiled a memorial stone outside of the main entrance of Hillsborough on Parkside Road on the 10th anniversary of the disaster come 1999.

The changes that Sheffield Wednesday made to Hillsborough saw it host several fixtures during the 1996 European Championship, as well. While Leicester City edged Middlesbrough 1-0 at the ground in a replay of the 1997 English Football League Cup (EFL Cup) final after the teams drew 1-1 at Wembley.

How to get to Hillsborough

Despite Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium being located in the north-west of Sheffield, fans can get to Hillsborough through various means. The ground is six miles from the M1 motorway and is just three miles from the city centre. But parking near the stadium is limited as it is based in a residential area.

A number of roads in the nearby vicinity of Hillsborough are also designated as permit-holders only. Alternatively, fans can get to Hillsborough through public transport with busses frequently servicing Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium. There is also a tram stop around a 10 minutes walk from the ground.

Stadium tour info

Sheffield Wednesday brought tours of their stadium back for the 2022/23 season with fans able to see behind the scenes at Hillsborough again. The tours only run on Saturdays with a league game and last around 90 minutes. The tours additionally start at 10:00 and must also be booked in advance online.

Fans attending any tour of Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium get to see the dressing rooms, the tunnel, the dugouts, the directors’ box and the executive areas at Hillsborough and also get to go pitchside.

Address:

Hillsborough: Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield, S6 1SW