Perimeter walls around pitches banned after Vigar death
The Football Association has banned solid perimeter walls around pitches after a safety review following the death of former Arsenal youth player Billy Vigar.
The Football Association has banned solid perimeter walls around football pitches following the death of former Arsenal youth player Billy Vigar in September 2025. Vigar sustained a significant brain injury when he collided with a concrete wall during a match for Chichester City at Wingate and Finchley FC. The safety review, conducted by independent experts for the 2026-27 season, concluded that solid brick, breeze block, or concrete barriers no longer meet safety standards across the National League system for men and the Women's National League tiers 3-4.
Clubs with existing barriers must remove them or cover them with protective material as soon as reasonably possible. The FA and Premier League have pledged funding to assist with these changes. Vigar's death prompted over 4,000 signatures on a petition and a June 2023 joint letter from the government and the Professional Footballers' Association urging a more proactive approach to player safety.
Bath City's Alex Fletcher also suffered a fractured skull in 2022 after colliding with a concrete advertising hoarding.
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