FA to review pitch perimeter safety in grounds following death of Billy Vigar

The Football Association says it will carry out a review of pitch perimeter safety in grounds outside the top four tiers following the death of Chichester player Billy Vigar.

The 21-year-old suffered a brain injury after he collided with a concrete wall during a match at Wingate and Finchley last Saturday.

The former Arsenal academy player was taken to hospital and placed in an induced coma, but Chichester announced on Thursday that Vigar had died.

The Professional Footballers’ Association’s chief executive Maheta Molango said on Friday that there needed to be a formal investigation into the accident, having first urged the FA to act on this issue two years ago. Molango’s call for an investigation was echoed by Chichester MP Jess Brown-Fuller.

The FA said it was “deeply saddened” by Vigar’s death and said: “Whilst the health and safety of participants and spectators at the National League System level is the responsibility of the clubs and their local authorities, we will now conduct an immediate review, working with leagues, clubs and relevant stakeholders across the game, that will focus on the safety of perimeter walls and boundaries around pitches in the National League System.

“This will include looking at ways we can assist National League System clubs to identify and implement additional measures at their stadiums that they determine will help to mitigate any potential safety risks.”

The PFA and then Sports Minister Stuart Andrew wrote to the FA, the Premier League, EFL and National League in June 2023 asking them to adopt a more proactive approach to player safety at pitch perimeters, in the wake of a similar incident in November 2022 when Bath player Alex Fletcher suffered a fractured skull.

Wingate are understood to be in discussions with the relevant authorities. The club also issued a statement offering their heartfelt condolences, adding everyone at the club was “in shock at the death of a talented young man”.

Jess Brown-Fuller, the MP for Chichester, told the PA news agency: “I am shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Billy Vigar, who sustained a head injury while playing the sport he loved with Chichester City FC.

“Football brings community and joy to so many, and my thoughts are with Billy’s family, friends, team-mates and supporters at this truly terrible time.

“It is also important that the circumstances surrounding Billy’s injury are fully understood through a thorough investigation. Football has a unique power to bring communities together and is vital for people’s health and well-being.

“Players should feel safe playing at grounds across the country and I urge the sport’s governing bodies to take steps to ensure tragic accidents like this do not happen again.”

Molango agreed with the need for a formal investigation into Vigar’s death.

He added: “All footballers should expect to be safe when they go out to play or train, and to not be put at unnecessary and avoidable risk by factors beyond their control.

“When we previously highlighted potential safety issues in grounds and stadiums, the Sports Minister and I wrote to all the football authorities to urge them to be proactive on this and to make sure all their rules and regulations around player safety were fit for purpose.

“Again, whilst it is important that a proper investigation is allowed to conclude, we have to ensure that opportunities to make grounds safer for players have not been missed and that players don’t feel that serious incidents involving their safety are necessary to prompt change.”

A spokesperson for the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) said Wingate’s Summers Lane ground was “outside the scope of its licensing remit” but said it “stands ready to support the relevant stakeholders in any investigation arising”.

“The SGSA will also fully support the FA’s review into the safety of perimeter walls and boundaries around pitches in the National League system,” the spokesperson added.

The SGSA regulates local authorities in their oversight of spectator safety at the 92 Premier League and EFL clubs, along with Wembley and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.