The tragic death of former Arsenal youth player Billy Vigar was “entirely preventable”, according to ex-Bath City striker Alex Fletcher, who has urged football authorities to take immediate action on player safety.
Vigar, 21, died on Thursday after suffering a severe brain injury while playing for Chichester City the previous Saturday. It is believed the injury was sustained following a collision with a concrete wall, although the club has not confirmed the exact circumstances.
Fletcher, now 26, knows the dangers all too well. He was placed in a coma after crashing into concrete advertising hoardings during a National League South match in 2022 — an incident that ended his playing career at just 25. After 10 months of recovery, he has since taken a role in the Professional Footballers’ Association’s (PFA) brain health department, campaigning for improved safety standards at football grounds.
“This was an entirely preventable situation,” Fletcher told BBC Breakfast. “It brought a lot of emotions flooding back for me, but my overriding emotion was frustration that calls for change haven’t been listened to by the FA. I’m afraid this will not be the last [death] if action isn’t taken.”
In response to Vigar’s death, the Football Association announced it will conduct an immediate safety review of perimeter walls and structures at stadiums across the National League system.
“This will include looking at ways we can assist clubs in identifying and implementing additional measures to help mitigate potential safety risks,” the FA said in a statement.
However, Fletcher criticised the governing body’s response as too slow and insufficient. “I think it’s too little, too late,” he said. “If you asked Billy’s family, they would say: is it going to bring their son back?
“This needs to happen urgently. There are hundreds of matches played across the country every week where this kind of incident could happen again. It’s billed as a freak accident — but it’s an accident waiting to happen, quite frankly.”
Vigar’s death has reignited debate over player safety standards in English football, particularly at lower-league and non-league levels, where facilities often fall short of modern safety expectations. Campaigners like Fletcher argue that barriers and walls too close to the playing surface pose avoidable risks and should be addressed as a priority.
For Fletcher, the tragedy underscores a failure to act despite repeated warnings. “This isn’t about one incident,” he said. “It’s about a system that hasn’t adapted to protect players properly. Unless change happens now, we risk more lives being lost.”
The FA has been contacted for further comment.
