# Billy Vigar's parents: Death could have been prevented

> Parents say FA ignored warnings about concrete pitch dangers after son's death
- Title: Billy Vigar's parents: Death could have been prevented
- Summary: Parents say FA ignored warnings about concrete pitch dangers after son's death FA must fix pitch safety rules across all football levels to prevent similar…
- Keywords: billy vigar, football, concrete barriers, pitch safety, chichester city, wings and finchley fc, national league, bath city, alex fletcher, football injury, safety regulations, Billy
- Source: BBC Sport — https://bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ckwyzjny99vjo
- Published: 2026-09-25T05:25:29.214+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: billy vigar, football, concrete barriers, fa, pitch safety, chichester city, wings and finchley fc, national league, bath city, alex fletcher, football injury, safety regulations
## Billy Vigar's death
21-year-old Billy Vigar died from a significant brain injury after colliding with a concrete wall at Wingate and Finchley FC in London.

> He was 21 years old and he lost it playing football when he didn't need to
## Parents' accusation
Camilla Vigar claims the FA ignored warnings about concrete pitch dangers after similar deaths in 2015 and 2022.

> The FA could have stopped Billy losing his life because they had so many warnings
## 2015 incident
Amateur footballer Ben Hiscox died after hitting a clubhouse near Bristol in 2015.
## 2022 incident
Alex Fletcher fractured his skull in 2022 after colliding with concrete barriers at Bath City.

> The FA had ignored my years of campaigning on pitch perimeter safety
## FA review
The FA updated pitch safety rules to ban solid concrete, brick, and breeze block barriers after Vigar's death.
## 169 clubs affected
169 clubs in the National League System and Women's National League must add padding to concrete walls by Christmas.
## Bath City response
Bath City welcomed the rule change but noted they still have solid perimeter walls on their pitch.

> We welcome the ruling as it seeks to improve player safety
## Vigar's career
Billy joined Arsenal's academy at 14 and spent nearly seven years there before playing for Chichester City.
## Parents' call for action
The Vigars want safety rules extended to all football levels, not just the National League.

> It needs to change basically at all levels, not just at the levels that have changed
## Fletcher's stance
Alex Fletcher says the FA ignored his campaigns for safer pitch perimeters and must be held accountable.

> That is a complete dereliction of duty on their part
## Key takeaway

FA must fix pitch safety rules across all football levels to prevent similar deaths