The 1981 FA Cup Semi-Final and its impact on stadium layout

1. On 11 April 1981, Hillsborough Stadium hosted the FA Cup Semi-Final between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The game was attended by over 50,000 spectators.
    
2. Just after kick-off, a crushing incident took place on the West Terrace near the PCB. SWFC received reports that 38 people sustained injuries. SJA treated 30 supporters on site for minor injuries. Eight people were taken to hospital; three had broken limbs and two required stitches.
    
3. Following the match, SYP held an internal debrief, where senior SYP officers expressed concerns about the layout of the Leppings Lane terraces (the West Terrace and North West Terrace). Assistant Chief Constable Robert Goslin felt that, to assist with crowd control, the terraces required more divisions into separate pens, so that the supporters were not in such a solid mass. He also suggested that the permitted capacity of 10,100 for the two terraces was too high.
    
4. SYP followed this up with SWFC. Chief Superintendent Robin Herold (Ch Supt Herold), who had been the match commander for the 1981 FA Cup Semi-Final, had a meeting with Eric England, the Secretary of SWFC at the time. He explained SYP's concerns and the proposal that the terrace should be divided into pens. According to Ch Supt Herold’s notes, Mr England disagreed with the view that the capacity was too high and suggested that, instead of fixed fences, portable barriers could be used to assist with crowd control.
    
5. SYP persisted, and the then Chief Constable wrote to the SWFC Chairman, reiterating SYP’s concerns and recommending that the issues should be discussed with the local authority. 
    
6. The OWP visited Hillsborough Stadium on 8 June 1981. Meeting minutes recorded that SWFC, together with SYP, were considering revising arrangements on the West Terrace. By early September, Dr Eastwood had been instructed by SWFC to arrange the installation of two fences on the West Terrace, to divide it into three approximately equal sections, each with its own entrance. This would allow parts of the terrace to be used by supporters of SWFC at home league games, with a smaller area allocated to away supporters, separated by the fences.

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Figure 2C: 3D model of the West Terrace layout in 1981, following the installation of two radial fences (Source: Operation Resolve, based on image produced by Return 2 Scene LTD (R2S))

1. There was to be a gate at the top of each fence, which could be either locked shut or secured against the back wall, allowing people to move between pens. The latter option would only be considered if the whole terrace was allocated to supporters of the same team. 

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Figure 2D: Example of gates in radial fence (Source: Dennis Bond, SYP)

1. According to Dr Eastwood and an SYCFS officer who regularly attended the OWP, if the gates were open, this would be under police control. SYP officers have disputed this and said they had no responsibility for managing the gates. 
    
2. The plan was approved by the local authority on 14 September 1981, and the fences were installed in October and November that year. Subsequent documents indicate that SYP was largely happy with the new arrangements.
    
3. Following a change to the terrace such as this, the capacity should have been formally reassessed. There is no evidence that it was.