FA bans pitchside walls after Billy Vigar death

The Football Association has banned solid brick, breeze block, and concrete barriers around pitches in the National League System (men's steps 1-6) and Women's National League (tiers 3-4), following the death of Chichester City forward Billy Vigar. Vigar, a 21-year-old former Arsenal youth striker, died in September 2024 after suffering a brain injury when he collided with a concrete barrier while trying to keep a ball in play during a match at Wingate and Finchley. Under the new pitch perimeter criteria, existing solid barriers must be removed as soon as practicable or covered with suitable padding if removal is not structurally possible.