The parents of a footballer who died after hitting a concrete wall around a pitch have said the FA 'could have stopped' their son losing his life.
Chichester City striker Billy Vigar, 21, died a year ago after suffering a brain injury during a match at Wingate and Finchley in the seventh tier of English football. He had collided with a concrete barrier while trying to keep the ball in play.
New FA regulations after death
Last month, the Football Association introduced new regulations banning "solid brick, breeze block or concrete barriers" around pitches for clubs competing in the National League and below in men's football, and in the Women's National League.
Billy's mum Camilla Vigar has now told the BBC she believes the FA should have acted sooner after a string of previous incidents - and that if they had, her son would still be alive today.
Mrs Vigar told BBC Sport that her son "had his whole life ahead of him" when he suffered the fatal injury, adding: "He was 21 years old and he lost it playing football when he didn't need to.
"I personally feel that the FA could have stopped Billy losing his life because they had so many warnings." You swing from sadness to anger because you just feel it could have been prevented."
Previous incidents and background
Vigar joined Arsenal at 14 and although he never made a senior appearance for the Gunners, he was a regular in their under-18s. In 2021/22 he scored four goals and had two assists for the youth side. In 2024 he moved to Hastings United on a free transfer and then on to Isthmian League's Chichester in the summer.
Keith Vigar, Billy's dad, works in health and safety, and said in most workplaces, precautions are taken to make sure people don't suffer injuries - "let alone even die at work".
Camilla spoke of the case of amateur footballer Ben Hiscox, who died in 2015 after sliding into the clubhouse at Stoke Gifford United while making a tackle. Padding was added to the clubhouse after Mr Hiscox's death following a coroner's report, and the space beneath the building and the pitch increased.
In November 2022, Bath City striker Alex Fletcher suffered a life-threatening skull fracture after colliding head-on with concrete-reinforced advertising hoardings at the club's home ground, Twerton Park after a challenge. He was forced to retire two years later. The FA began a fact-finding review of barriers at football grounds after the incident, though this did not result in any changes to regulations.
Impact of the new measures
Since the new measures were brought in this summer, around 160 non-league clubs have been contacted regarding at least one part of their stadium which must be modified. The FA and Premier League will help pay towards the costs, and fixtures will continue at the affected grounds until work is completed.
An FA spokesperson said: "We were deeply saddened by the passing of Billy Vigar, and our thoughts and heartfelt condolences remain with his family, friends and loved ones.
"Following the tragic incident, we announced an immediate review of the safety of perimeter walls around pitches across the National League System. Conducted by independent Health and Safety experts, this review led to changes to our Stadium Accreditation Criteria for the 2026-27 season.
"As a result, solid brick, breeze block and concrete barriers are no longer permitted around pitches across the National League System for men [Steps 1-6] and the Women's National League [Tiers 3-4].
"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. This important work is underway, and we will continue to fully support the clubs involved.
"We understand the devastating impact of Billy's passing, and we remain fully committed to supporting clubs in making their stadiums and grounds as safe as possible."
