This Tuesday marks the 25th anniversary of the infamous Hillsborough disaster.
To commemorate the 96 souls that lost their lives, the Philadelphia Union and the Sons of Ben will honor those during this Saturday’s match against Real Salt Lake with a special announcement and moment of silence during the seventh minute of play.
The Hillsborough Disaster is an important piece of soccer history. It marks a fateful day in 1989 when an English FA Cup match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was halted after Liverpool supporters were crushed and suffocated to death due to a rapid influx of people in one small section – cordoned off from the field by a towering fence. After the dust settled, 96 people died and 766 were injured. It's an event that has remained a hot topic throughout world soccer a quarter century later.
It’s also a moment that revolutionized how venues are designed to deal with overflow in addition to the ingress and egress of fans.
All over social media, people have expressed their sentiments towards Tuesday's 25th anniversary ceremonies across the globe. Arsenal midfielder Lukas Podolski took to his Twitter account Friday afternoon.
Tomorrow at PPL Park, the names of the 96 will scroll across the video board in the north end of the stadium, introduced by an announcement from Union public address announcer Kevin Casey. Be in stadium to catch that (for tickets to Saturday's match, click here) and the commemorative TIFO the Sons of Ben will adorn the River End with during their moment of silence during the sixth and seventh minute of play.
Soccer is full of memories.
This is one all of those associated with the Philadelphia Union want to ensure “we will never forget.” #DOOP
Contact Union digital editor Kerith Gabriel at kgabriel@philadelphiaunion.com
