All councils must ensure that sports grounds are safe. Spectator safety is paramount.
Following a meeting of the Safety Advisory Group on 18th July 2025 and subsequent discussions with the club, Sheffield City Council in its role as the certifying authority responsible for issuing the general safety certificate for Hillsborough Stadium has decided to issue a prohibition notice in respect of the North Stand.
A prohibition notice is a formal document issued to a club by a local authority to prevent spectators entering a football ground or specific stand until the specified work to resolve the issue has been completed to the satisfaction of the local authority.
Assurances around the structural integrity of the North Stand have not been provided by Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and as the body responsible for the safety of sports grounds and all spectators, the Council has been forced to make this decision to not allow spectators into the North Stand.
The Council would need the necessary professional assurances that the ground is safe before the prohibition notice would be lifted.
It is our role to ensure the safety of all sports grounds for all spectators. We have been working with Sheffield Wednesday Football Club for some time, through the Safety Advisory Group which we chair, to seek reassurance that the North Stand is structurally compliant.
Because we haven’t been given that professional reassurance, we are regrettably in a position where we must issue a notice prohibiting spectators in the North Stand until we can be absolutely assured that the required work has been undertaken to the satisfaction of the council as certifying authority. We have done this immediately, following an assessment by engineering specialists who can no longer confirm that the North Stand is safe for spectator use.
We recognise that this is a very difficult situation, and we will continue working closely with the club and provide support and guidance where we can. We as much as anyone want to see the fans enjoying football at Sheffield Wednesday next season.
Councillor Joe Otten, Chair of the Environmental Services and Regulation Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council