The protection of footballers round pitch-side partitions was being ‘swept below the carpet’ lengthy earlier than the tragic demise of ex-Arsenal academy prospect Billy Vigar this week, one other participant injured by a concrete hoarding has claimed.
The 21-year-old died on Thursday after struggling a ‘important mind harm’ when he collided with a pitch-side wall whereas enjoying for Chichester Metropolis away at Wingate and Finchley on the weekend.
Vigar was positioned in a coma and operated on by docs in a determined bid to avoid wasting his life on Tuesday, however ‘the harm proved an excessive amount of for him’, his devastated household stated.
Soccer has united within the wake of the ahead’s passing in a bid to enhance the security of stadiums and pitches. A petition for ‘Vigar’s Legislation’, banning brick partitions close to touchlines and bylines, has garnered greater than 2,5000 signatures as of Friday morning.
Dorking Wanderers supervisor and YouTube character Mark White has additionally joined the hassle to keep away from additional incidents, describing some pitches in England as ‘deadly’.
‘All golf equipment want the FA to instruct a right away enquiry into pitch surrounds,’ he posted on the Dorking X account.
Chichester Metropolis ahead Billy Vigar died on the age of simply 21 on Thursday after colliding right into a concrete hoarding final weekend
Vigar was a product of the Arsenal academy and solely left the membership final yr
Wingate and Finchley’s floor, the place the younger man suffered the harm, has a breeze block wall close to the pitch
‘Many are harmful and gamers must be cautious given the proximity from the pitch. However some merely don’t transfer and are deadly. These want eradicating.’
Issues concerning the security of pitches had been nonetheless raised and ‘swept below the carpet’ greater than two years in the past when Tub Metropolis star Jack Fletcher narrowly prevented dying in an analogous incident.
The 26-year-old suffered a severe head harm after crashing into concrete promoting hoardings throughout a Nationwide League South recreation in November 2022.
He wanted emergency surgical procedure and was positioned in a coma however fortunately survived.
Fletcher returned to soccer some 10 months later after studying to stroll once more. He nonetheless in the end retired from the sport final yr on the age of simply 25 as a result of he ‘did not really feel like the identical participant anymore’.
The previous Tub star referred to as for extra to be finished to guard the security of gamers as early as 2023 – lengthy earlier than the unhappy demise of Billy Vigar.
‘If I had misplaced my life I really feel like extra would have been finished,’ Fletcher advised the BBC in 2023.
‘Now that I’ve recovered and bought again on the pitch it has been swept below the carpet a bit.’
A number of soccer followers have referred to as for extra to be finished to guard gamers within the wake of Vigar’s passing. Dorking Wanderers boss Mark White grew to become the most recent to take action on Thursday night
He took to Dorking’s X account, describing some pitches in England as ‘deadly’
Former Tub Metropolis star Alex Fletcher nearly died after colliding with pitch-side hoardings greater than two years in the past
He was positioned right into a coma and efficiently operated on earlier than making a return to soccer some 10 months later. Fletcher nonetheless retired on the age of simply 25 attributable to his harm
Fletcher took up a job with the PFA of their Mind Well being division following his harm in a bid to pressure change.
‘I will not cease,’ he added, ‘I am going to guarantee that with my new function with the PFA I am going to maintain driving for change to enhance participant security as a result of for me it was nearly the top.
‘Fortunately it wasn’t, however there’s not rather a lot that is modified in grounds up and down the nation.’
Whereas Fletcher was recovering, the PFA and the Minister for Sport, Stuart Andrew MP, despatched a letter to the leagues and FA setting out expectations over the steerage which might be given to golf equipment to stop additional incidents.
‘Collectively, soccer ought to do the whole lot it may to ensure incidents like Alex Fletcher’s don’t occur. This can be a step in the fitting path and we admire the Minister’s help,’ a press release from the PFA on the time learn.
Only a month earlier than Vigar’s demise, a part of the breeze block wall at Wingate and Finchley collapsed to the aspect of one of many targets, inflicting the membership’s chairman Aron Sharpe to hit out on the Dulwich Hamlet away supporters.
The petition gaining traction following the younger man’s passing reads: ‘We, soccer lovers, urgently name for the elimination of brick partitions and different arduous, immovable constructions surrounding soccer pitches.
‘Billy’s passing just isn’t an remoted incident—numerous gamers in any respect ranges have suffered severe accidents, together with damaged bones, concussions, and life-altering trauma, on account of these harmful boundaries.
‘Many pitches, particularly at grassroots and neighborhood stage, stay bordered by stable brick partitions positioned just a few ft from the touchline. These partitions serve no important sporting goal, but they create an simple and avoidable hazard.
‘Golf equipment, native councils, and sports activities authorities have a authorized and ethical obligation to offer a protected surroundings. Permitting hazardous constructions to stay as soon as the hazard is understood is a breach of that responsibility.
‘Billy Vigar’s demise have to be the final. We owe it to his reminiscence—and to each participant who steps onto a soccer pitch—to make sure that nobody else suffers such a useless tragedy.’
Vigar was a part of Arsenal’s Beneath-21s aspect as not too long ago as final yr
Flowers have been laid exterior Chichester Metropolis’s floor and tributes flooded in from throughout the soccer world, led by his former golf equipment Arsenal, Chichester, Derby County, Eastbourne Borough, and Hastings United.
Non-league golf equipment might argue that partitions assist with crowd management, significantly once they have restricted personnel to steward video games, and that the price of eradicating partitions could possibly be important.
In a press release launched on Friday, the PFA stated that ‘all footballers ought to anticipate to be protected once they exit to play or practice’.
‘Clearly there must be a proper investigation into the incident that has led to Billy Vigar’s tragic demise, and it’s proper that that is allowed to happen in order that the complete circumstances will be correctly established,’ the PFA assertion learn.
‘All of our ideas proper now are with Billy’s household and associates, and offering no matter help we will to them.
‘When the time is true, we are going to supply any help we will as a part of any investigation course of, particularly data which may be useful relating to the security of gamers in grounds.
‘That features sharing issues we’ve raised beforehand round incidents the place PFA members have been critically injured in collisions with perimeter partitions and fences, equivalent to that involving Alex Fletcher at Tub Metropolis.
‘All footballers ought to anticipate to be protected once they exit to play or practice, and to not be put at pointless and avoidable danger by elements past their management.
‘After we beforehand highlighted potential questions of safety in grounds and stadiums, the Sports activities Minister and I wrote to all of the soccer authorities to induce them to be proactive on this and to ensure all their guidelines and laws round participant security had been match for goal.
‘Once more, while it will be important {that a} correct investigation is allowed to conclude, we’ve to make sure that alternatives to make grounds safer for gamers haven’t been missed and that gamers do not feel that severe incidents involving their security are essential to immediate change.’
Day by day Mail Sport has contacted Wingate & Finchley FC for remark. The FA have additionally been approached for remark however referred to their assertion of condolence and didn’t elaborate.
Vigar (left) pictured enjoying for Eastbourne Borough towards Torquay United in 2024
Vigar was a product of Arsenal’s Hale Finish academy, having initially joined on schoolboy phrases aged 14. He signed scholarship phrases in 2020, knowledgeable contract in 2022, and was a part of their under-21s set-up till final yr. In 2024 he joined Hastings United and over the summer time he joined non-league Step 3 aspect Chichester.
Chichester Metropolis, who’ve postponed their recreation towards Lewes on the weekend, wrote on X on Thursday night: ‘It’s with nice unhappiness that Chichester Metropolis Soccer Membership has to verify the passing of Billy Vigar.’ Individually, they stated: ‘Relaxation in peace Billy. Without end within the hearts of all at Chichester Metropolis Soccer Membership.’
Arsenal wrote on their web site: ‘Everybody at Arsenal Soccer Membership is deeply sorry to listen to of the tragic passing of Chichester Metropolis ahead and former Arsenal academy participant, Billy Vigar.
‘In addition to his important expertise, Billy will all the time be remembered for his love of the sport, pleasure at representing our soccer membership – he as soon as referred to as the day he was noticed by our scouts as ‘an important of his life’ – and a personality beloved by teammates and coaches alike.
‘Billy went on to look for us within the PL2 and EFL Trophy and proved to be an asset throughout the ahead positions and even deputised in defence – his versatility illustrating his dedication to the teaching workers and his group.
‘Our deepest condolences exit to the Vigar household and his many associates at this extraordinarily tough time.
A press release from his household learn: ‘After sustaining a big mind harm final Saturday, Billy Vigar was put in an induced coma.
‘On Tuesday he wanted an operation to help any probabilities of restoration. Though this helped, the harm proved an excessive amount of for him and he handed away on Thursday morning.
‘The responses to the unique replace present how a lot Billy was considered and beloved inside the sport.
‘His household are devastated that this has occurred while he was enjoying the game that he beloved.’
