The Football Association has introduced sweeping new safety regulations banning solid brick, breeze block and concrete barriers around pitches, following the death of former Arsenal youth striker Billy Vigar.
Vigar, 21, died last September after sustaining a brain injury during a match for Chichester City. The forward collided with a concrete barrier while trying to keep the ball in play during a fixture against Wingate and Finchley. His death prompted a full review of pitch perimeter safety across English football's lower tiers.
Under the updated pitch perimeter criteria published by the FA, clubs competing in the men's National League System, spanning steps one through six, along with sides in tiers three and four of the Women's National League, will no longer be permitted to have solid brick, breeze block or concrete structures bordering their playing surfaces.
The governing body confirmed that existing barriers of this kind must be taken down as soon as practically possible. Where removal is not immediately feasible due to structural reasons, clubs will be required to cover the barriers with suitable protective padding instead.
"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," the FA said in a statement. The organisation added that affected clubs have already been notified of the changes they must implement, though it stressed that fixtures can continue at grounds while modifications are carried out, provided clubs continually assess perimeter safety and work toward a realistic timeline for completing any necessary alterations.
According to the Press Association, roughly 900 clubs operate at the levels covered by the new rules, with around 160 of them flagged as needing to modify at least one aspect of their ground. To help facilitate the changes, the FA and Premier League will jointly fund the required work through the Premier League Stadium Fund. The FA noted that the first phase of the programme is already under way, with continued support promised for clubs going through the process.
The issue of dangerous pitch perimeters had been raised well before Vigar's tragic death. The Professional Footballers' Association had long campaigned for a comprehensive safety review, particularly after Bath City player Alex Fletcher was left in a coma following a similar incident in 2022. In June 2023, the PFA joined then Sports Minister Stuart Andrew in writing to the FA, Premier League, EFL and National League, urging them to take proactive steps to examine perimeter safety standards.
Reacting to Friday's announcement, a PFA spokesperson welcomed the overdue change but voiced continued concern over the pace of previous efforts. "Following the tragic death of Billy Vigar last year, we again highlighted these concerns and made clear our view that the lack of progress and leadership on this issue had been unacceptable," the spokesperson said. They added that the union had pushed directly for the FA's Stadium Accreditation criteria to be revised so that a unified policy exists for all clubs to follow, calling the shift "a welcome step."
The PFA also emphasised that oversight would be crucial moving forward. "It will now be important for progress on the removal of such walls – and effective mitigation of risks ahead of their removal – to be properly monitored, and for clubs to be given the support they need so that these changes can happen as soon as possible," the spokesperson said, adding that "player safety must always come first."
Based on reporting from Independent (football).