BRADFORD, England (AP) – High up in the corner of the stadium, draped over dozens of seats and hidden from the spring sunshine, a message on a giant England flag reads: “You’ll Never Walk Alone. May 11th 1985. RIP.”
Tony Sykes, now 81 and a longtime fan of English soccer club Bradford, points toward the stand.
“I was just over there when it happened,” he said, vividly recalling one of the worst sporting disasters in the country’s history, before falling silent.
It’s approaching 30 years since Valley Parade, Bradford’s home ground, became an inferno. Fifty-six spectators died and 265 were injured when a fire broke out and engulfed a wooden main stand holding about 3,500 fans during the team’s final match of the season against Lincoln.
On Saturday and Sunday, soccer stadiums across England will fall silent for a minute before kickoff in honor of those who died. Much of the focus will be on Valley Parade, where dignitaries like England coach Roy Hodgson, the chairman of the English Football Association and officials from England’s football leagues will be present for Bradford’s third-tier game against Barnsley.