Billy Vigar, a Chichester City striker, died on Thursday morning following an incident during an Isthmian League Premier Division match.
Dorking Wanderers’ owner has issued a forceful statement on social media following the death of former Arsenal striker Billy Vigar, who had a devastating head damage during a match.
Vigar, 21, was playing an away match for Chichester City against Wingate and Finchley on Saturday when he crashed with a concrete wall that surrounded the area.
His club later reported that he had sustained a major brain damage and was in an induced coma.
He underwent surgery on Tuesday but died from his injuries on Thursday.
A statement from Vigar’s family, released by Chichester on social media, reads: “After suffering a major brain damage last Saturday, Billy Vigar was placed in an induced coma.
“On Tuesday, he needed an operation to improve his prospects of recovery. Although this helped, the injury was too great for him, and he died on Thursday morning (25th).
“The replies to the first update demonstrate how much Billy was respected and loved within the sport. His family is saddened that this happened while he was doing the sport he loved.”
The cause of Vigar’s death has yet to be disclosed by either club participating in the match.
Wingate & Finchley FC stated: “We are profoundly saddened to learn of Billy Vigar’s demise. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to Billy’s family and all Chichester City FC friends during this terrible time.”
Vigar came through Arsenal’s youth and signed a professional deal with the club in 2021.
After loan spells at Derby and Eastbourne Borough, he was released in the summer of 2024 and went into semi-professional football, signing with seventh-tier Isthmian League Premier Division side Chichester in August.
Vigar’s death has sparked an outpouring of passion and loss, as well as a large amount of rage.
Bath City striker Alex Fletcher was badly injured and admitted to urgent care in November 2022 after colliding with concrete advertising hoardings during a home match.
After emergency neurosurgery, Fletcher was released from the hospital. He returned to play for Weston Super Mare a year later, but opted to retire the following summer, citing’something about my game that was missing’. He currently works with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).
Fletcher has been permanently deaf in his left ear as a result of the injury, and he has also admitted to having problems with balance, coordination, and timing, all of which contributed to his retirement from football.
Fletcher advocated for improvements to player safety in April 2023, telling ITV: “Whenever I go to watch matches, I get nervous when my team-mates are in the area where I was injured, and I just really don’t want anyone else to go through what I have in the last six months.”
Concrete walls, often known as breeze blocks, are still in situ at a handful of non-league venues.
Marc White, the owner and manager of National League South club Dorking Wanderers, has become the first non-league executive to publicly urge that concrete fences be banned in English football.
“All clubs require the FA to launch an immediate investigation into pitch surroundings. Many are dangerous, and players must constantly exercise caution given their proximity to the pitch,” he added.
“However, some do not move and are fatal. “These must be removed immediately.”
The petition, which was started shortly after Vigar’s death was reported on Thursday evening, has already gathered nearly 2,000 signatures as of this writing.
Jack Mison, who created the petition, wrote: “We call on local councils, football associations, governing bodies and facility owners to immediately assess all football pitches for the presence of brick or concrete walls within the playing facilities, remove or replace these walls with safer alternatives (such as mesh fencing or padded railings) within a defined timeframe [and] introduce strict guidelines prohibiting the construction of new hard-surface barriers near acti
“The death of Billy Vigar must be the last. We owe it to his memory – and to every player who steps onto a football pitch – to ensure that no one else endures such an unnecessary tragedy.
“Football should be a game of joy and community, not a place where preventable hazards claim young lives.”
xz
