Sheffield Wednesday hit with prohibition notice over stand safety in latest hammer blow
Sheffield Wednesday have been served with a prohibition notice over its North Stand over safety concerns - meaning that as things stand, fans will not be granted access less than three weeks out from its first scheduled game.
Conversations around improvements required to ensure the longer-term safety of the stand have taken place between the Council’s Safety Advisory Group and Wednesday since 2021, it is understood, with a Yorkshire-based engineering consultancy firm having more recently felt unable to provide a letter of comfort to authorities over its ultimate safety ahead of the new season.
The Star have previously reported on the process over the last years, with second opinions sought from a firm in Bangkok earlier this year and further inspections having been undertaken since. It is understood Wednesday were instructed to get going on work on the solving of a range of issues by the end of last year but by the early part of this summer had not set about tackling some of the more major actions handed to them by the Council, some of which centre on the re-enhancement and strengthening of six of the stand’s 18 steel trusses on its roof.
A Sheffield City Council statement confirmed the prohibition notice focuses solely on the North Stand. The stadiums three other stands will remain open for use. Wednesday are set to welcome Stoke City to Hillsborough on August 16 and it is believed to be highly unlikely the facility will be open for use as the club go about undertaking the necessary improvements. The North Stand can be re-opened when safety is assured.
Thousands of Wednesday supporters are known to have purchased season tickets in the North Stand ahead of the coming season and a decision will have to be explained on how the club intends to rehouse them - and what refund policy will be put in place.
A statement confirming the news and released by Sheffield City Council on Tuesday afternoon reads: “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.”