Sheffield Wednesday
Hillsborough

Although the ground has not had the level of new investment some other clubs have recently received, it is still a beautiful ground oozing character. It has four large separate stands, all of which are all covered and are roughly the same height, giving a uniform feel to the stadium. On one side is the North Stand. This large single tiered stand was opened in 1961. It was hailed as an architectural marvel, as at the time it was the largest cantilever stand ever built in Britain and only the second such type of stand to have been constructed (the first was at the Old Showground in Scunthorpe). The two tiered South Stand on one side of the ground is the largest of the stands and is superb looking. It was originally opened in 1914 and was designed by the famous football ground architect Archibald Leitch. A second tier and new roof were added in 1996, to expand capacity for the European Championships, for which Hillsborough was a host venue. In keeping with the original look of the stand, a triangular gable incorporating a clock adorned with a copper football was placed on the new roof. The stand has a large lower tier with a small upper tier above. At the back of the lower tier is a row of executive boxes. The team dugouts and Directors Box are located on this side.

At one end is the Spion Kop. This was previously a huge open bank of terrace that was at one time the largest in Britain. It gained a roof in 1986 and was made all seated in 1993. Opposite is the West Stand or Leppings Lane End. This two tiered stand was opened in 1966, in time for the Club to host some World Cup games played that year. Like the Kop, it has a number of large supporting pillars. One corner of the ground is filled with seating between the North & West Stand, this area is uncovered. On the other side of the West Stand is an electric scoreboard, under which is tucked a Police Control Box. Unusually for such an old ground, it doesn't have a set of floodlight pylons. Instead the stadium is illuminated by lights running across the front of the stand roofs.

Outside the ground near the main entrance is a memorial to the 96 fans who died at Hillsborough in 1989, at the FA Cup Semi Final between Liverpool & Nottingham Forest.

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Future Developments

The Club had previously announced plans to increase the capacity at Hillsborough to almost 45,000. This was primarily through the proposed expansion of the Leppings Lane End, including the building of an additional tier and the 'filling in' of the corner between this and the South Stand. This was in the hope that England would win the bid to stage the 2018 World Cup (Hillsborough was listed as one of the potential venues). However the failure of this bid, means that plans have been shelved for the time being. They may be 'dusted off' if the Club gain promotion to the Premier League.

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I had an enjoyable day out at Hillsborough, where I found the atmosphere around the ground to be relaxed. I thought the ground was certainly one of the best in the League, if not the country, in terms of setting and attractiveness. Lee Hicklin adds; 'About a hundred yards down Leppings Lane there is a programme and football memorabilia shop, which is worth a visit'.

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Also I did pass a couple of pubs (the Norfolk Arms & The Red Lion) on the way into Sheffield on the A61 from the M1, where away fans were drinking. Bill Harris a visiting Millwall fan adds; 'I found an excellent Pub called The New Barrack Tavern on the A61 just before McDonalds on the way to the ground, from the city centre. Forget the exterior, inside the pub has some excellent decor and no juke boxes or fruit machines. Although on my own I was made to feel very welcome and spent a good couple of hours talking football to the locals'. Craig Murray a visiting Bournemouth fan also enjoyed the New Barrack Tavern; 'It's a 'proper' pub, serving a great selection of real ales and imported lagers at reasonable prices. They also had really
tasty, locally-made pork pies behind the bar. I wasn't wearing colours but the locals were very friendly and happy to chat footy once I opened my  mouth and they realised I was an away fan. The pub's roughly 15-20 minutes walk from the ground.' This pub is owned by the Castle Rock Brewery and is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. It normally has seven beers on handpull, plus one cider polypin. It is also serves food. Please note that this is a home pub that welcomes small numbers of visiting supporters who appreciate their real ale, not a pub specifically for away fans.

For those with a little bit more time on their hands or planning to travel to the ground by Supertram, then the Hillsborough Hotel near the Langsett/Primrose View tram stop (two stops from Hillsborough going towards Meadowhall/Halfway) is worth a visit. This CAMRA Good Beer Guide listed pub, has a range of real ales available, hot food and is home to the Crown Brewery, whose beers it also has on offer. In fact on my last visit, a lovely smell of hops wafted throughout the bar. Also from the outside area at the back you can see people descending down the artificial ski slope in the distance. John Piper adds; 'From the Langsett/Primrose view stop. Cross over the road and walk back about 50 metres, in the direction of the city centre and the Hotel is on the corner. Afterwards just hop back on the tram (Yellow route - destination Middlewood) and get off at the Leppings Lane stop. An all day ticket for the Supertram and is currently £3.70 and can be bought on board'. In Hillsborough itself (and conveniently situated by the tram stop, so much so that you can literally get straight off the tram and walk through the doors of the pub) is a Wetherspoons called the Rawson Spring. This pub is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and is about a 12-15 minute walk to the ground, or you can go back on the tram and up to the Leppings Lane stop. If you do go into this pub, then try to guess what the building was used for, before becoming a pub.

Nick Palfreyman informs me; 'With regard to where to drink, pubs close to the ground are normally pretty crammed full on matchdays and not easy to park by. The tram route, which can be boarded at Sheffield Station, out to Hillsborough (tram stop for ground is' Leppings Lane') passes a good few excellent pubs. It is the Yellow Route with 'Middlewood' on the destination board. In the city centre near the West Street Tram stop is the Red Deer pub, which serbes several real ales. By the University stop is the Harley, by the Shalesmoor stop is the Wellington, again real ales. and five minutes walk from that stop, by Kelham Island Museum (Alma Street) are the Fat Cat and Kelham Island Tavern, both jammed with real ale, and CAMRA Award winning pubs. If in a car you can park near these pubs and then use the tram to reach Hillsborough  An all day tram ticket allows you to hop on and off as you choose. See the Supertram website for more information.

If arriving in Sheffield by train then as Joe Oates a visiting West Ham United fan suggests; 'The Howard pub, on Howard street opposite Sheffield Railway Station. I found it to be a very warm and welcoming place for away fans to visit. A reasonable selection of the usual draught beers/lagers and three ales on the pump. Prices were very reasonable and a good selection of pub grub, including chicken curry and chips for £2.50. It is then a ten minute walk to Castle Square Tram station for the Yellow route'.

Otherwise alcohol is available to visiting supporters in the away section of the ground. Jo Evans-Stolt a visiting Bolton Wanderers fan adds; '500ml bottles of Carling were on sale at the not so cheap price of £3.40 a bottle. You also have to queue separately for beer or food, which wasn't great.'

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North Stand

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Leave the M1 at Junction 36 and follow the A61 into Sheffield. Continue along the A61 for approximately eight miles. You will see Hillsborough Stadium on your right. This is not the shortest route to the ground, but this is definitely the easiest and avoids Sheffield City Centre. There is some street parking to be had if you arrive early, otherwise there are some unofficial car parks along the A61 that charge in the region of £4. Gary Rickett-Ambrose adds; 'There is a car park directly behind the Kop and the Wednesday Club shop. It is called the Wednesdayite car park and is open to fans of both teams. It costs £5 for visitors'.

Alternatively, you may find it easier to park at Meadowhall Railway Station, near to the well known Shopping Centre (unless of course it is in the run up to Christmas or the January sales, when the shopping centre is very busy), just by Junction 34 of the M1, where you can park for free and then take a yellow tram to Leppings lane, which costs £3 return and takes about 35 minutes.

Map showing the location of Hillsborough stadium (at the bottom of this page).

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Leppings Lane End

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Like a number of Clubs, Sheffield Wednesday operate a category system (A & B), whereby the most popular games cost more to watch. Category B ticket prices are shown below in brackets:

Home Fans*:
South Stand: Adults £30 (£28) Over 65's/Under 18's £20 (£18)
North Stand: Adults £28 (£26) Over 65's/Under 18's £18 (£16)
Hallam FM Kop: Adults £26 (£24) Over 65's/Under 18's £16 (£14)

Away Fans:
West Stand (Leppings Lane End): Adults £26 (£24) Over 65's/Under 18's £16 (£14)

* A discount of up to £2 per adult and up to £12 per junior ticket can be gained if you are a Club member.

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Ground Layout

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Instructions for using the map:
- Use the bar on the left of the map to zoom in / out using the + / - keys.
- Click and drag an area of the map to move around or use the up/down, left/right arrows
- Click the Satellite button to see aerial view photograph.

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