Overview
- Billy Vigar, a 21-year-old former Arsenal academy player, suffered a fatal brain injury after colliding with a concrete wall on 25 September 2025 and died five days later.
- Following an independent safety review of more than 900 clubs, the FA updated its stadium-accreditation criteria to ban solid brick, breeze block and concrete perimeter walls at National League System and Women’s National League levels.
- The FA notified 169 clubs they must remove or cover unsafe walls and has offered funding, with several non-league clubs saying the support will allow remedial work to start before season’s end.
- Vigar’s family and injured players such as Alex Fletcher say the FA failed to act on earlier warnings from incidents in 2015 and 2022 and are calling for accountability and rules that cover more levels of the game.
- An inquest into Vigar’s death is expected next year and campaigners say its findings could determine whether the FA extends the ban beyond the current league tiers and pursues further safety measures.