What is going on with Sheffield Wednesday’s North Stand at Hillsborough?

What is going on with Sheffield Wednesday’s North Stand at Hillsborough?

As if Sheffield Wednesday’s predicament wasn’t awful enough, the North Stand at Hillsborough is now having

problems that could prevent it from opening for the upcoming campaign.

Sheffield Wednesday has had a terrible summer, with uncertainty surrounding their head coach for the upcoming

campaign, a player exodus due to late wage payments, and takeover negotiations that appear to have stalled. Before a

ball has been kicked, prospects of repeating such a success are beginning to wane after the team finished 12th in the

Championship at the end of the 2024–25 season.

And the news keeps getting worse and worse. According to recent reports, safety concerns may prevent the North

Stand at Hillsborough from opening in time for the start of the new season. If the club is not able to remedy these

concerns soon, there is a risk that the team could have to start the upcoming season with a reduced capacity and with

season ticket holders displaced somewhere around the stadium.

The roof of the North Stand at Hillsborough is corroding

According to the BBC, “extensive corrosion” has been discovered in the roof of the North Stand, which could prevent

it from opening in time for the upcoming season. As a result, the safety advisory group of Sheffield City Council has

advised that the authority will not be “in a position to approve the continuance of the existing general safety

certificate” until this corrective action has been completed. The club requested that their first League game of the

season be played away from home, indicating that they were aware of this as well.

For the club, this is more than just a small inconvenience. Closing the North Stand will lower the capacity to slightly

over 30,000 from its 9,255 capacity. Additionally, although the exact number is unknown, there will be supporters

who purchased season tickets for that section of the stadium; if Wednesday’s home games at Hillsborough are held

with the stand closed, those supporters would need to find another location within the stadium.

The North Stand at Hillsborough was the height of modernity 65 years ago

Constructed during the 1960–61 season, Hillsborough’s North Stand was regarded as the pinnacle of modernity at

the time. Its cantilever roof ensured that those seated inside had unhindered views. After one was finished at

Scunthorpe United’s Old Show Ground in 1958, this was the second cantilever roof constructed in an English

stadium.

The marks of its senior age are evident after over six and a half decades. Although it is obvious that Sheffield

Wednesday cannot afford the massive development work at Hillsborough, supporters have long complained about

the team’s lack of investment in the stadium, and the news that is being released regarding this feels very much like a

validation of those who voiced those concerns. As recently as May, the club pledged “significant” infrastructure

investment.

Above all things, though, the symbolism is likely the most lingering element. The North Stand’s state at Hillsborough

seems to be a very clear metaphor for Sheffield Wednesday’s current state more generally, and it will be even more

evident if it is empty when they begin their 2025–2026 home campaign.

Read more news on https://www.sportupdates.co.uk/