English football will unite this weekend to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough stadium disaster.
As a mark of respect and remembrance for those who lost their lives as a result of the Hillsborough tragedy in April 1989, all Premier League, Football League, Football Conference and FA Cup matches taking place on the weekend of 11-14 April will kick-off seven minutes later than originally scheduled.
The match at which the disaster took place, The FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989, was ended six minutes after kick-off, at 3:06pm.
Sunderland AFC’s match against Everton, which was due to kick-off at 3pm on Saturday 12 April will now kick off at 3:07pm. The minute before kick-off (3:06pm to 3:07pm) will see a period of silence observed at the Stadium of Light and across all grounds.
Players from both clubs will also wear black armbands.
Sunderland AFC’s chief executive Margaret Byrne said: “The tragic events at Hillsborough are etched in the memory of every football fan. By joining together to show our support to the Hillsborough families and everyone affected by this tragedy, we hope that we can show that those who passed away in such tragic circumstances will not be forgotten.”
Sunderland and Everton supporters are kindly asked to take their seats early on the day of the game, in order to ensure that the silence is observed in the correct manner.
We would also like to remind forum users of the legal restrictions in place about discussing the events on social media whilst the inquest is taking place – further details at on the Attorney General’s website here
