ABSTRACT
The summer of 1985 was described by one prominent football historian as ‘the lowest ebb in the fortunes of British football’ (Walvin, 1986:6). Two major disasters, costing ninety-four lives, provoked an unprecedented public outcry and led to a series of punitive measures against British clubs and their supporters. First there was the Bradford City fire. This occurred at an end-of-season game where a large crowd was gathered to celebrate the team’s promotion to the second division. Fire broke out in an old, litterstrewn stand which soon became a death trap in which fifty-six people perished.
