FA Chair Debbie Hewitt visited St. Theresa’s Catholic Junior School in Liverpool this week to be part of a special Hillsborough assembly.
It’s just over 34 years since 24,000 Liverpool fans went to Sheffield to watch their team’s FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium on Saturday 15 April 1989.
Ninety-six did not come back and another suffered life-changing injuries from which he would never recover; a disaster that touched so many lives and changed the face of English football forever.
Organised by the Real Truth Legacy Project, pupils at the school in West Derby were taught about the Hillsborough disaster and its impact on society in both Liverpool and across the country, as well as how it changed the way football fans watched the sport.
Debbie was invited to the first of hopefully many assemblies like this by Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne, and joined Hillsborough survivors, members of the victims' families, the Mayor of Liverpool and representatives of Liverpool FC for the session.
“I was 26 when Hillsborough happened,” said Debbie, following the assembly.
“A family member was there, and I remember the shock, disbelief and grief of the days and weeks that followed.
“22 of those who died were under 18 years old – kids who had gone to have a good time at a football match and never returned home.
“The pictures of the funerals were haunting, and the heroic way that Kenny Dalglish showed his respect by attending each one of them was one of my most abiding memories
“Fast-forward nearly 35 years and I find myself as Chair of the FA, with the privilege of being invited by Ian Byrne to a local school assembly inspired by Ian’s desire to tell the Hillsborough story to the next generation – the Real Truth Legacy project.
EXC: Pupils at St Theresa’s Catholic Junior school in West Derby being taught about #Hillsborough and it’s after effects.
The special assembly is hoped to be the first of many which will be rolled out by The Real Truth Legacy Project @IanByrneMP
pic.twitter.com/tdBGNG6x2A
— Tom Dunn (@tomdunn26) May 2, 2023
“This is a generation who weren’t born when Hillsborough happened and the children heard a number of life lessons, about the importance of telling the truth, how important it is to have resilience for all that life throws at you and above all the persistence that those impacted have shown to have their story told.
“As I left the event and said goodbye to two remarkable and inspiring women, Jenni Hicks who lost her two teenage daughters in the tragedy and Debbie Matthews who lost her brother, I was reminded in such a vivid way why it’s unforgivably cruel to chant about any football-related tragedy - Hillsborough, Munich, Heysel, Bradford, Istanbul or any other.
“It is not 'just football tribalism', it is not just anything other than disrespectful, unforgivable, and wrong.”
