Football grounds around the country fell silent exactly 37 years after the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of 97 people and injured another 700.
The incident occurred during the 1989 FA cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, which was held at Hillsborough as a neutral venue. Orders were given to open more entrances to the stadium, leading to overcrowding and eventually a fatal crush in the Leppings Lane end.
The incident is the deadliest sporting incident to ever occur in the UK, and led to significant structural changes in stadiums across the football leagues after the Taylor Inquiry was launched the following year.
Liverpool fan Owen Brown said: “I know memorials take place every year but it is incredible to see the overwhelming support everyone in the footballing community continues to show towards the club and all those affected.
“Hopefully one day justice will eventually be done and those responsible will be held to account.”
Sheffield Wednesday led their annual service, with manager Henrik Pederson and captain Liam Palmer laying a wreath on behalf of the club.
They said in a statement, “The club continues to express ongoing sympathies to the families and friends of the 97 and the wider Liverpool community affected so deeply by the disaster.”
This year, the city of Liverpool fell silent at 15:07 on 15 April, the exact time the game was abandoned by the referee, and the Merseyside derby, which was played at Everton’s Hill Dickinson stadium on Sunday was subject to a minute’s silence at the start of the game.
Furthermore, Everton unveiled a plaque outside the stadium that paid tribute to the supporters who passed away.
Investigations and inquiries are still contested to these day, and led to six men being charged in 2017 for crimes including manslaughter by gross negligence and misconduct in public office. Eventually they were all found not-guilty.
Last December, a final Independent Office for Police Conduct review found that the remaining 12 South Yorkshire Police officers, who were serving in the stadium on the day of the disaster would have faced disciplinary conduct of gross misconduct if they were still serving, but they were all either retired or dead so no action was taken.
