35 years since Hillsborough

Today marks 35 years since the Hillsborough disaster which resulted in the loss of 97 lives in one of the worst tragedies witnessed at a football ground.

The thoughts of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) are with all those who were impacted, and continue to be affected by the tragedy.

In his report into the tragedy, Lord Justice Taylor stated that “complacency is the enemy of safety”. This remains as true today as it was 35 years ago. 

The Hillsborough tragedy was a turning point for sports ground safety and crowd management in the UK.  Over the last 35 years there has been a step change to develop safe, modern stadia with professional safety teams in place with in-depth crowd management knowledge and experience.  It also introduced the SGSA’s predecessor, the Football Licensing Authority, and formal regulatory oversight of football grounds and local authorities to improve levels of safety. The effect of this has been no further loss of life at sports grounds as a result of safety management failures since Hillsborough.

Today, however, reminds us we cannot rest on our laurels. The moment we close our minds to what is happening is the time we become complacent. To heed the words of Lord Justice Taylor, and to respect the memory of the 97, we must always regard complacency as the enemy of safety.