Steven Gerrard has donated £96,000 to the Hillsborough Family Support Group ahead of tonight’s Merseyside Derby.
The Liverpool captain, whose 10-year-old cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley died at Hillsborough, hailed Liverpool as “a special city” whose people united in the wake of the tragedy.
Overcrowding in the Leppings End at Hillsborough led to the deaths of 96 fans as Liverpool played Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final almost 25 years ago.
And Gerrard, who was only eight years’ old when the tragedy happened, said that he made his donation ahead of the 222nd Merseyside Derby to “send a message of togetherness out”.
“I know there’s a bit of banter in the stands when the game’s going on,” he added. “But for me, the Everton fans have been superb since Hillsborough.”
He offered a “huge thank you” to Everton fans for all the support they have given the club and its fans since Hillsborough.
The Hillsborough Family Support Group represents 74 of those families affected by the disaster. The organisation, along with the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, has fought to discover the truth of what happened that day since being formed in 1989.
In 2012, an independent report determined that 41 of those that died could potentially have been saved, and cleared Liverpool fans of any wrongdoing.
Soon after that, a new inquiry into the disaster was ordered, with the original verdict of accidental death overturned. Fresh inquests will take place in March.