Billy Vigar’s tragic death has led to a ban on hard perimeter walls at hundreds of grounds across the National League System and Women’s National League.
The Football Association has introduced new safety rules following the death of former Arsenal academy forward Billy Vigar, banning solid brick, breeze-block and concrete perimeter walls around pitches across large parts of the English non-league game.
The new regulations apply from the 2026/27 season to clubs in levels one to six of the men’s National League System and tiers three and four of the Women’s National League.
Clubs have been instructed to remove the structures as soon as reasonably practicable or install appropriate padding where removal is not structurally possible.
The FA and the Premier League will contribute towards the cost of the required work.
The changes follow Vigar’s death at the age of 21 after he sustained a significant brain injury during Chichester City‘s match away to Wingate & Finchley in September 2025.
Vigar died five days after the incident.
The tragedy accelerated a debate around player safety that had already gathered momentum following Alex Fletcher‘s serious head injury after colliding with a concrete advertising board while playing for Bath City in 2022.
The Professional Footballers’ Association, the government and other stakeholders had already called for stronger action in 2023, while a petition launched after Vigar’s death attracted more than 4,000 signatures.
The FA’s decision does not extend across every level of English football. Instead, it specifically covers the National League pyramid and the Women’s National League divisions identified in the new regulations.
Clubs will still be permitted to stage matches while assessing their grounds and planning the necessary work, provided they carry out ongoing safety assessments and complete the required changes within a reasonable timeframe.
The direction of travel is nevertheless clear, with unprotected solid structures immediately beside the playing area now regarded as an avoidable risk to player safety at those levels.
Vigar joined Arsenal on schoolboy terms at the age of 14 before becoming a full-time scholar for the 2020/21 season. The centre-forward progressed through the academy alongside Charlie Patino, Brook Norton-Cuffy and Omari Hutchinson.
Although he did not make a first-team appearance, he featured once in the EFL Trophy and gained experience during loan spells with Derby County‘s under-21 side and Eastbourne Borough.
After leaving Arsenal in 2024, Vigar played for Hastings United before joining Chichester City in 2025, scoring twice in his first three league appearances before tragedy struck.
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