The Hillsborough Football Disaster

The history of Hillsborough begins with the deaths of 96 people and the physical and mental injury of countless others.

However it does not end there. The enormity of the Disaster goes beyond even this.

Hillsborough becomes a metaphor for British society today. It is a microcosm of how society operates. Viewed in this way the history of Hillsborough becomes the history of injustice, of cover-up, and collusion.

History will record 'Hillsborough' firmly within the bounds of civil rights, and the bereaved and survivors of the Disaster will long be remembered for the heroic stances they took against the might of bureaucratic forces in the name of justice.

What follows is a chronological outline of what exactly happened on the 15th April 1989 at Hillsborough and the aftermath...

The build up to the Disaster >

To read and hear accounts from the survivors of the Disaster, the families of those who lost their loved ones and the Liverpool team on the day use the links at the top.

An extensive 20 minute video of the disaster can be viewed here in windows media player format.

To hear the audio clips you must have RealPlayer installed. Click here if you do not have the plug in. Choose the free player in top right corner.