FA announces new rules on pitchside walls after death of former Arsenal youth player | OneFootball

Football clubs operating within the National League System are now mandated to remove or adequately pad brick and concrete walls surrounding pitches.

This safety overhaul follows a review following the death of Chichester City forward Billy Vigar.

Vigar, a 21-year-old former Arsenal youth striker, died last September after suffering a brain injury when he collided with a concrete barrier while attempting to keep the ball in play during a match at Wingate and Finchley.

In response to the review, the Football Association has published updated pitch perimeter criteria.

These new regulations explicitly "no longer permit solid brick, breeze block or concrete barriers around pitches" for clubs competing across the men's National League System (steps 1-6) and the Women’s National League (tiers 3-4).

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The Football Association has published updated pitch perimeter criteria (PA)

“Any existing solid brick, breeze block or concrete barriers must be removed as soon as reasonably practicable, or covered with suitable protection if they cannot be removed for structural reasons,” the FA said.

“We have informed the clubs at this level that will be required to take action as a result of these changes.

“Matches may continue to be played at affected grounds during this period; however, clubs should assess the safety of their pitch perimeter barriers on an ongoing basis, and where alterations to these structures have been recommended during this review, they should develop a plan to complete any such alterations within a reasonable timeframe.”

Press Association Sport understands that of the approximately 900 clubs that play at the relevant levels, around 160 have been contacted regarding at least one element of their stadium which must be modified.

The FA and Premier League will provide funding to carry out the necessary work, with money distributed by the Premier League Stadium Fund.

“The initial phase of the programme is already underway, and we will continue to provide full support to the clubs involved in this process,” the FA said.

The Professional Footballers Association had been pushing for the safety review to take place prior to Vigar’s death, following an incident which left Bath City’s Alex Fletcher in a coma in 2022.

In June 2023, the PFA and then Sports Minister Stuart Andrew wrote to the FA, the Premier League, the EFL and the National League calling on them to proactively review pitch perimeter safety.

Following Friday’s announcement, a PFA spokesperson said: “Following the tragic death of Billy Vigar last year, we again highlighted these concerns and made clear our view that the lack of progress and leadership on this issue had been unacceptable.

“As part of working groups set up by the FA following Billy’s death, we pushed for the FA’s Stadium Accreditation criteria to be amended to ban these types of walls so that there is a clear and centralised policy for clubs to follow.

“Given that, it’s a welcome step that the FA’s regulations have now been changed to reflect that position.

“However, it will now be important for progress on the removal of such walls – and effective mitigation of risks ahead of their removal – to be properly monitored, and for clubs to be given the support they need so that these changes can happen as soon as possible. Player safety must always come first.”