One year after 21-year-old Billy Vigar suffered a fatal brain injury during a match, his parents have accused the Football Association (FA) of negligence, asserting that his death could have been prevented. The former Arsenal academy player, then playing for Chichester City, collided with a concrete wall surrounding the pitch at Wingate and Finchley FC in north London on September 25, 2025. You swing from sadness to anger because you just feel it could have been prevented. According to he was 21 years old and he lost it playing football when he didn’t need to,” she, Sport.
In their first broadcast interview, Camilla and Keith Vigar alleged that the governing body ignored repeated red flags regarding pitch-side safety. Camilla Vigar noted that after prior incidents, the FA possessed sufficient intelligence to intervene but did nothing. She specifically pointed to the death of amateur player Ben Hiscox, who died in 2015 after hitting a clubhouse near Bristol. While that case prompted a coroner to warn the FA about the dangers of rigid barriers near pitches, the Vigars believe the failure to act decisively left high-risk venues, such as Wingate and Finchley, unchanged.
The family also cited the 2022 incident involving Alex Fletcher, who fractured his skull against concrete barriers at Bath City’s stadium. Although the FA conducted a review following Fletcher’s injury, the Vigars claim this information was not acted upon effectively. When approached regarding the handling of this intelligence, the FA declined to provide a formal comment. Nothing was done with that information and it just sat there, as far as I’m aware.
Following Vigar’s death, the FA commissioned an independent safety review involving over 900 clubs. This resulted in a regulatory update last month that prohibits solid brick, breeze block, and concrete barriers around playing areas. Approximately 169 clubs within the men’s and women’s National League systems have been notified that they must implement modifications, including the installation of padding where structural walls are present, as soon as reasonably practicable. The Premier League and the FA are providing funding to support these remedial efforts. The FA launched a safety review of more than 900 clubs, which was conducted by independent experts, in light of what happened to Vigar. And we will continue to fully support the clubs involved, the FA said: “This important work is under way. Sport approached hundreds of affected clubs in an effort to gauge their views on the changes and understand the status of their remedial work.
Clubs have reacted with mixed sentiments. Bromsgrove Sporting described the new rules as long overdue and expressed gratitude for the full funding provided. Conversely, Sheppey United characterized the changes as a reactive measure, noting that without external funding, many clubs would struggle to afford the necessary safety upgrades. Bath City, reflecting on the 2022 incident at their own ground, welcomed the regulations as a necessary step for player protection.
Despite these updates, the Vigar family and Alex Fletcher argue that the changes remain insufficient. Keith Vigar, who works in the health and safety sector, insisted that standards must be improved at every level of the game, not just within the National League system. Fletcher, who was forced to retire in 2024 due to his injuries, believes his years of advocacy were ignored until the tragedy occurred. He now urges authorities to investigate and mitigate risks at all tiers of amateur and professional football where hazardous perimeters might still exist.
To mark the anniversary of his passing, the Vigar family—accompanied by Billy’s siblings, Phoebe and Ollie, and his girlfriend Lois’s family—are undertaking a climb of Snowdon. For Keith Vigar, the challenge serves as a focal point for their grief, reflecting the active, competitive spirit that defined his son’s life. Billy Vigar, who joined Arsenal’s academy at age 14, was remembered by his family as a talented athlete and a dedicated competitor who had his entire future ahead of him.
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