Arsenal player’s death leads to new FA ban for English stadiums

New rules have been introduced for English football stadiums ahead of the new season following the tragic death of former Arsenal striker Billy Vigar last year.

Vigar, who was playing for Chichester United at the time of the accident, collided with a pitchside concrete barrier while trying to keep the ball in play at Wingate and Finchley last summer. The 21-year-old suffered a fatal brain injury, and a new rule is now set to be enforced to prevent something similar happening in the future.

New rule for English stadiums announced

As per new guidance from the Football Association (FA), all clubs in the National League system must either remove brick or concrete walls from the area around the pitch or use padding to cover them.

For the avoidance of doubt, the FA have stated that the rules apply to all ‘solid brick, breeze block or concrete barriers' around the pitch. The rules cover the National League System for men (steps 1-6) and the Women's National League (tier 3-4).

The FA have announced breeze block, solid brick and concrete perimeter walls like those at Carlisle United and Barrow will no longer be permitted from this season in steps 1-6.#bbcfootball #carlisleunited #barrowafc pic.twitter.com/0CdP0chYEk

— BBC Sport Cumbria (@bbccumbriasport) August 7, 2026

The FA said:

“We have informed the clubs at this level that will be required to take action as a result of these changes.

“Matches may continue to be played at affected grounds during this period; however, clubs should assess the safety of their pitch perimeter barriers on an ongoing basis, and where alterations to these structures have been recommended during this review, they should develop a plan to complete any such alterations within a reasonable timeframe.

“The initial phase of the programme is already underway, and we will continue to provide full support to the clubs involved in this process.”

There is an acceptance that it may take time for all clubs to take action, particularly as the new National League season started this weekend. Grants are set to be made available to all clubs to speed the process up.

FGG says: A welcome change

While the timing of the announcement arguably should have come earlier in the summer, the bottom line is that this rule amendment is absolutely necessary. Ultimately, there is no reason for concrete walls to be anywhere near the side of a football pitch, particularly as the game continues to get faster by the year. Rest in peace, Billy Vigar.