Billy Vigar’s parents call for wider safety rules as 169 clubs face pitch changes

Billy Vigar’s parents have called for pitch-perimeter safety regulations to cover every level of football, telling BBC Sport they believe the Football Association could have prevented their son’s death. Their first broadcast interview since his death comes as 169 clubs have been told to modify their grounds following an independent safety review.

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Vigar, a former Arsenal academy striker, was 21 when he died from a brain injury five days after colliding with a concrete wall while playing for Chichester City at Wingate and Finchley. His parents, Camilla and Keith, are seeking answers about the response to earlier incidents involving barriers close to pitches.

The family cited Ben Hiscox, who died in 2015 after hitting a clubhouse near Bristol, and Alex Fletcher, who fractured his skull at Bath City in 2022 and retired in 2024. The FA reviewed clubs after Fletcher’s collision. Camilla Vigar said she understood Wingate and Finchley had been identified as high risk. That remains her account; the FA declined to comment to the BBC on what it did with the information gathered.

After Vigar’s death, independent experts examined safety at more than 900 clubs. The FA changed its stadium accreditation criteria last month, ending permission for solid brick, breeze-block or concrete barriers beside pitches. The rules apply to the men’s National League System and the Women’s National League. Structural walls must instead have suitable protective covering, including padding.

BBC Sport reported that 169 clubs were notified they needed to act as soon as reasonably practicable, with funding provided by the FA and Premier League. The FA said the work was under way and it would continue supporting the clubs. Bromsgrove Sporting told the broadcaster it welcomed the changes and would receive full FA funding.

Sheppey United said padding would be installed over a supporting wall along two sides of its pitch. Bath City also welcomed the ruling and the financial support for implementation. Fletcher, meanwhile, joined the Vigars in urging authorities to extend the protections beyond the competitions covered by the revised criteria.

The family is awaiting an inquest, which BBC Sport reported is likely to take place next year. Their allegations about earlier warnings remain distinct from any findings that process may reach.